


Dutton in All but Name

by MadHatter2019



Category: Yellowstone (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Pining, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Veterans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:26:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 33,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25296877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MadHatter2019/pseuds/MadHatter2019
Summary: Maddy Johnson, a decorated combat veteran, returns to Yellowstone to recover from her injuries at the insistence of her uncle, John Dutton.  Battling PTSD and depression, a bitter Maddy fights against every helping hand she's offered due to survivors' guilt.  John puts Rip in charge of watching over her, despite Maddy's disdain for her uncle's loyal soldier.  Will these two souls find a way to move past their dislike for one another to form a true friendship?  Can Rip finally move past Beth now that she's set him free?
Relationships: Rip Wheeler/Original Female Character
Comments: 33
Kudos: 112





	1. Blackmail

Arlington, Virginia

“John, I just don’t know what to do with her,” Dale said through the phone as he paced back and forth inside his office late at night.

“When did they release her?”

“Two weeks ago, and she’s not done anything but go to rehab and lay on my sofa. She won’t leave, won’t talk to anyone, or anything else for that matter. Most nights, she’s either awake or having godawful nightmares. I just don’t know what to do anymore, John, and with her parents gone…”

“What about the ceremony?”

“They did it from her hospital bed and her commander didn’t give her much choice. I wouldn’t bring it up if I were you, though, she won’t talk about it.”

“Have you ran this idea past her doctors?”

“They’ve already written her referrals for treatment at the VA clinic in Bozeman. She’ll need to go to her physical therapy appointments every week and keep the bandages changed, but her shoulder is due to be out of the sling tomorrow.”

“Okay. I can be there tomorrow to bring her back, but I wouldn’t say anything to her until I get there.”

~~~~~~

Maddy Johnson laid on her uncle’s couch with an arm slung over her eyes to keep the light at bay as she heard her uncle fling open the curtains and start the coffee pot. She had tried to sleep last night but either suffered from insomnia or heard screams and explosions in her sleep, so most of the night she had been awake. Her left leg sat elevated and locked into a barely bent position within a hinged knee brace while her right arm was held to her body with an immobilizer sling. Content to ignore the activity in the next room, Maddy was forced to open her eyes with a gasp as a bag of ice was dropped not so gently onto her left knee. 

“What the hell, Dale?”

“Good morning,” her uncle said with a stern look, “it’s time to start the day.”

Maddy heaved an exasperated sigh and recovered her face only to find herself being manhandled up into a sitting position with her leg now elevated on the coffee table in front of her. Before she could say anything, the blanket and pillows she’s bed laying on for the last week disappeared and her father walked out of the room.

“What is going on?”

“If you want breakfast, you’re going to have to get yourself in her and eat like a civilized person. You’re able to walk from there to the couch without crutches.”

“Dammit,” Maddy grumbled as she slowly made her way onto her good leg, using the arm of the couch for support. Once she was steady on her feet, Maddy slowly made her way into her uncle’s kitchen to find not only him sitting there but also John Dutton. The sight of her mother’s brother made her stop and straighten herself up a little before continuing to the empty chair across from him. Sitting down, Maddy waited until Dale had placed a cup of coffee and plate of eggs in front of her before speaking. 

“Uncle John,” Maddy said, taking a sip of coffee, “what are you doing here?”

“Dale called me,” John said, taking in the dark circles and pale complexion on his niece’s face. Her brown hair was a mess and looked like it had not been combed in a week. 

“Traitor,” Maddy mumbled under her breath as she spooned in a mouthful of eggs and chewed silently. 

“We’ve talked it over, and you’re coming home to the ranch with me?”

“Excuse me? We,” Maddy asked almost choking on her eggs in shock as her uncle’s statement.

“Yes, Dale and I. We’ve decided that you’re flying back with me this afternoon.”

Maddy swallowed and glowered at her two uncles, “No I’m not!”

“Yes, you are,” John said in a tone that normally would end the argument, but his niece favored his little sister more than he realized with a stubborn streak a mile wide.

“I’m not fucking going,” Maddy said she attempted to stand up quickly and groaned in pain when her knee and shoulder did not cooperate. She had not been to the ranch since before her parents died and did not plan on that changing anytime soon. 

“Yes, you are,” Dale said, sitting his cup firmly down on the table. “I’m not going to sit here and watch you waste away, and you can’t go back to the Army now that you’re medically discharged. You need support and help to get through this, and I’ve tried my way. I’ve been supportive and coddled you even, but it’s clearly not working, so we’re going to try John’s way.”

“And if I don’t want to go?”

“Then you’ll have to find somewhere else to live,” Dale said, standing and leaving the room. Maddy could tell how upset he was but being completely wrapped up in what had happened to her, she did not really care at the moment. 

“He may give you a choice,” John said in a low, angry voice, “but I’m not. You’re coming home with me if I have to hogtie you to get you there. I promised your parents I would look after you if ever there was a need, and I intend to do that. We can do this my way or the hard way…which will it be?”

“Oh, your way isn’t the hard way? How did your way work out for Kayce, John,” Maddy said with venom in her voice, knowing it was a low blow to let on that she still talked to Kayce.

John’s eyes narrowed but here simply took a drink of his coffee before answering, not letting her bait him, “Maddy, I love you dearly, but you need to take your head out of your ass. It’s time to man up, and since you’re clearly not willing at this point, I’m going to do it for you until you are.”

“Rip still doing your dirty work?”

“While I’m sure he’ll help, I’m going to be doing this myself,” John said, his dark gaze almost daring her to say no.

Maddy glared at her uncle before grumbling an affirmative that she would go with him. John sipped his coffee as she quietly returned to her breakfast without another word. John had not seen his niece since her parents died six years prior, but he knew she possessed the Dutton stubbornness like the rest of the family. It had been that stubbornness that had gotten her through basic training with the Army after high school and into a career she loved, but now was not the time for stubbornness. She needed to let herself heal, both physically and mentally, while someone else took charge of her life. Maddy was not taking care of herself and until she was ready, someone else needed to do it. John knew she would fight him every step of the way, but he was going to see this through and would use everything at his disposal.

¬~~~~~~~~

Rip Wheeler stood on the front porch of the main house, patiently waiting for Mr. Dutton’s SUV to pull down the drive from the airport. He had received a text message from his boss saying that they would arrive in twenty minutes and to be waiting at the house, so that is where he was instead of concerning himself with the running of the ranch.

“What are you doing up here,” a female voice said from behind him as Beth walked up, seeing the look of frustration on his face. 

“I have no idea…was just told to be here when they arrived. As if I don’t have enough to do around here,” Rip said dryly under his breath.

“Maddy gets in today,” Beth said, recalling the conversation with her father from the night before. While Beth Dutton did not like most people, Maddy was one of the few exceptions, though they had not seen each other since her parents’ funeral. During their childhoods, Maddy had spent summers on the ranch and while more rough and tumble than her more feminine cousin, she had always covered for Beth’s antics when possible. This bought the younger women at least a modicum of consideration from the otherwise cold woman. 

“When was the last time she visited? I don’t remember.”

“The summer before her parents died, I think. She always did love working the ranch with you guys, especially Kayce and Lee, then I ever did. I’m not even sure she knows he’s gone,” Beth said, inadvertently looking toward the family plot. 

“Beth,” Rip said, quietly changing the subject, “are we going to talk about whatever this is?”

Beth sighed and took a drink of the glass of bourbon in her hand before answering, “If I’m being honest, Rip, I wish I would give you what you want…a sense of normalcy…but I just can’t. You want to do dates and have a relationship, like that music festival. I won’t say that I’m sorry for what I said when you mentioned it, but I’m just not that type of person.”

“Okay?”

“So, I think we just need to leave it alone and not be involved.”

“Beth, I never…”

“I know you never meant it that way, but this is what’s best for both of us,” Beth said, planting a quick kiss on his cheek as an SUV rolled up the driveway. 

Beth gave Rip’s arm a squeeze before returning to the house without another word, leaving the man shocked and heartbroken. He had loved, or at least what he thought was love, Beth Dutton since he was sixteen, but it was clear she was never going to return his affections in the same way. As the vehicle stopped in front of him, Rip straightened his shoulders and walked down the stairs, pushing the turmoil in his heart aside as John parked and exited from behind the wheel to stand next to him. 

“Sir.”

“Rip, I’m going to…” John started to say but was interrupted as the rear passenger door jolted open causing them both to take a step back. The end of a pair of crutches shot out of the door followed by woman with brown hair who took a minute to steady herself with a murderous look on her face. 

“Maddy, I told you to wait…”

“I can open my own fucking door, John. I’ll be in my room,” the woman bit out before making her way toward the steps without another word. Rip watched in shock as Maddy moved past him without a word, though he hardly recognized her. She was a little taller than the last time he had seen her, guessing her to be around 5’6, with an athletic build from her time in the Army. 

“Sir?”

“Trust me, that’s the nicest thing she’s said all day,” John said, swiping a hand down his face in frustration. 

“Why did you ask me up here, sir?”

“I’m going to need help keeping an eye on her, Rip, and I don’t trust anyone else to do it.”

“You’re kidding? I’m a ranch hand, sir, not a babysitter. What about Beth or Jamie?”

“Right,” John said sarcastically, “Beth will tell her to bury her problems in alcohol and I’m not even sure if Jamie can handle her. She’ll chew him up in seconds and have him begging for mercy.”

“That little girl,” Rip said, not believing his boss was serious. 

“You have no idea what she’s been through,” John said, a look of sadness moving across his face. “I know this is a big ask, but I need you to be my eyes and ears with Maddy when I’m not around.”

“What do I do with her?”

“Keep her alive and out of trouble for the most part. Right now, just help me get her bag inside.”

“Yes, sir,” Rip said reluctantly, following John to the back of the SUV to grab the two bags Maddy had brought with her. They walked quickly inside to find Maddy in the only bedroom that was located in the downstairs of the main house. It stood empty since John’s father had died, but it was easier than having her traverse the stairs every day. They walked in to find Maddy sitting on the bed with her leg elevated on pillows and arms crossed over her chest.  
John had Rip put the bags in the closet and turned to his niece, “Dinner’s in an hour.”

“I’m not hungry,” Maddy said sullenly, still extremely pissed about the situation but John had reached his limit for the day. 

“Look young lady, this is not Dale’s house and you will not be waited on here. If you’re not present at regular mealtimes, you’ll be expected to make your own. Gator will not be serving your meals in here. Those crutches will be gone by tomorrow, so if you want your bags unpacked, you’re going to do it yourself. I expect you to attend every physical therapy and counseling appointment the VA has set up for you without complaint. Once you’re cleared by your doctors, we’ll find stuff for you to do around here.”

“And if I don’t?”

“I’ll have Kayce call your commanding officer,” John said, playing a trump card he knew would work. Kayce and Maddy were around the same age and were still very close. She would never do anything to disappoint him or the man who had recommended her for the medal, and John knew that.

“Fine. What’s he doing here,” Maddy said, looking at Rip.

“When I’m not around, he’s going to keep an eye on you.”

“Ah…always the loyal soldier,” Maddy said with enough disdain to infuriate the man she was looking at, “I see some things never change.”

“Like I said, dinner is in an hour,” John said, leaving the room and taking Rip with him, though the burly cowboy did throw Maddy a look that would frighten most people. She merely looked back at him with a smirk before looking down at her phone.


	2. Two

John Dutton stood at the fence watching his hands work calves, but his mind far from in front of him. Rip could tell that his mind wasn’t on the work as he approached with two cups of coffee and offered one to John.

John startled slightly as the sudden appearance of the man, causing Rip to chuckle, “You with us this morning, sir?”

“Yeah,” John said with a laugh as he took the offered cup of coffee and drank a long sip, “just a lot on my mind this morning, Rip.”

“Maddy,” Rip asked. It had been three days since she had come back to the farm and Rip had not seen even a glimpse of her at all. “I haven’t seen her since the night she got here, so I guess that means she’s not getting herself into trouble.”

“That’s the problem, Rip.”

“Sir?”

“None of us have seen her since the night she got here,” John said, shaking his head in frustration.

“She hasn’t come out for a single meal?”

“Nope,” John said looking at the younger man next to him, “and though Beth has asked to take her a plate, I’m not going to buckle on that. There will be no waiting on her hand and foot.”

“Are you sure she’s okay in there,” Rip said, the first real hint of concern showing in his voice. 

“Well, she’s locked the door. I was going to remove the lock, but again, Beth insisted that a woman of her age and what she’s been through deserves privacy. In fact, Beth was pretty adamant about that in a way that only Beth can be. I think she’d tear the house down if I had done it.”

“Really,” Rip said, suspicious of Beth’s sudden concern for someone new considering Beth hardly showed true concern for anyone outside of John and Kayce. 

“Yeah,” John said with a laugh under his breath, “she knocked on the door and told Maddy that she needed to at least answer that she was okay, or I was going to have you break the door in. She answered right away that she’s fine and doesn’t need anything.”

“Hmm,” Rip said, taking another drink of his coffee while mulling the situation over in his mind.

“I still can’t figure…”

“Sir, why don’t you let me handle this one.”

“Thank you,” John said, turning his attention back to the activity in the coral, “just be careful what you ask for.”

“You might be right,” Rip said but dropped the subject in favor of discussing the days’ work that needed to be handled. 

The rest of the day progressed without any problems, an oddity as of late, but Rip was not one to complain when things went smoothly. It was not until he received a text from John saying Maddy had been absent from dinner yet again that he remembered his request to figure this out. From where he was sitting in his recliner, Rip was not overly enthusiastic to get back up and put his boots back on. With a sigh, he drained the last sip of beer out of the bottle he was holding and stood up with a stretch as he looked toward the clock. It was nearly eleven in the evening, but Rip begrudgingly set the bottle on the counter, pulled his boots back on, and made his way through the dark up to the main house. Initially he was expecting to have to bang on her door until she answered, but when Rip entered the house all was quiet except a rustling in the kitchen. Quickly slipping his boots off, Rip walked quietly toward the kitchen to find the woman in question surprisingly out of her room dressed in cotton sleep shorts and an Army t-shirt as she dug through the fridge. Rip stood in the doorway, content to watch her until she noticed him.

Maddy stood in front of the fridge in her uncle’s kitchen long after the rest of the family had gone to bed trying to figure out what to make herself for dinner. Completely unaware that she was being watched, Maddy grabbed eggs, bacon, and vegetables to make herself an omelet and moved to the stove. After starting the eggs, Maddy began to chop ingredients for her omelet and pull seasonings out of the cabinet next to the stove when she realized that the hot sauce she wanted was on the top shelf. 

Still in a knee brace that restricted mobility all the time, Maddy knew a step stool was not a wise decision yet even with her five feet, nine inches of height reaching the bottle was going to be a challenge. Standing up on tiptoe as much as possible, Maddy almost had her fingers on the bottle when an arm came out of nowhere to grab it for her causing her to swing back her left elbow in panic. Rip, having fast reflexes, was able to just barely catch hold of her arm before it connected with his face as he pulled the bottle down.

“Somebody’s a little jumpy,” Rip said with a chuckle that earned him a scowl as Maddy snatched the hot sauce out of his hand and moved back to the stove without a word. Rip waited until she was settled before moving to the breakfast bar to Maddy’s left and sat down. He sat there and watched her, knowing his presence annoyed her until she finally put her omelet on a plate and turned to him in frustration.

“Don’t you have something better to do? Trail after Beth maybe,” Maddy said one hand on the bottle of hot sauce on the counter and the other on her hip. Rip narrowed his eyes at her comment but refused to take the bait, instead took a direction that he knew would force a reaction. 

“So, this is what a hero looks like, huh? A hermit that barely comes out of her room and looks like she was rode hard and put up wet.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Well, they gave you a medal for whatever it was you did over there.”

Maddy could feel the anger welling up inside her at Rip’s words. She hated being called a hero when all she felt was anger about the whole thing.

“They should have given them the medals,” Maddy mumbled angrily as she opened the bottle and began to pour hot sauce on her eggs. Neither of them noticed John come into the doorway behind her, the sound of voices bringing him from his room. 

Rip, wanting to get something out of her besides bitchiness, decided to really dig at what he had a pretty good idea was going to be a sore spot. 

“Well maybe if you had saved more of them…”

The bottle of hot sauce left Maddy’s hand so fast she was almost as surprised as Rip when it hurled across the kitchen, narrowly missing his head as he ducked out of the way. 

“I would have died for those men,” Maddy nearly screamed at him, angry tears filling her eyes, “I should have died! I wish I had rather than live through this.”

Rip stood in shock from where he had ducked and jumped off his stool when the bottle came flying at him. He had expected her to be angry, but the look on her face showed him that if he had pushed too far. There was a dark, murderous expression in her eyes that demonstrated just how dangerous she could be that vanished within a few seconds of appearing. Rip exhaled a large breath as Maddy back away from him and turned to leave.

“How many did you save?”

“Not enough,” Maddy said before walking past her uncle without a word and outside onto the porch. John walked out into the kitchen and looked at Rip. 

“Sir, I need you to tell me everything you know about what happened to her if I’m going to help her.”

“Clean up the hot sauce and I’ll be right back,” John said, moving quietly to his office to keep from waking Beth and Jamie. When he came back, Rip was sitting at the bar with a bottle of beer for both of them. 

“Her uncle gave me this when I picked her up. It’s the citation and after-action report for her decoration,” John said, setting the file in front of Rip along with a small box. 

Rip opened the box and stopped, swearing under his breath, at what was inside, “Jesu…that’s a Congressional…

“…Medal of Honor, I know. She was in Afghanistan for six months as a combat medic, but I’ll let you read the rest.”

“Goodnight, sir.”

“Goodnight,” John said, leaving Rip at the breakfast bar to read through Maddy’s military service record and medal citation. She had joined the Army at eighteen, training to be a combat medic and serving in Iraq for six months at the age of twenty. Awarded a bronze star for pulling an entire team out of a Humvee after an IED explosion, Maddy had been fast-tracked to become a special teams medic, successfully completing jump school before being deployed to Afghanistan nine months ago. 

Rip moved to the after-action report and was shocked into disbelief at what had happened. She was in the back of a patrol consisting of two teams moving through a village when the Taliban attacked their position. The first team, consisting of twelve men, were under heavy fire and cut off. Unable to find cover, most of them were wounded the initial attack. Maddy had left her rifle with her team and run toward the men screaming for a medic without hesitation according to the report. Under heavy fire and without a weapon, she had triaged and moved nine of the men out of the line of fire while her team attempted to cover her and push the insurgents back. Upon going back in for the tenth man, an RPG was fired at her causing her to be thrown into a concrete wall. The explosion and impact had severed her ACL, dislocated her shoulder, and imbedded shrapnel into her lower back near her spine. Her team was able to push forward and call in a Medivac helicopter for her, but the remaining three men had died of their wounds during the incident. 

Rip closed the files and looked back at the medal inside the box, unsure and still processing everything he had learned that evening. Maddy’s behavior so far and reaction this evening made perfect sense to him now. She felt guilty she had survived while being unable to save the last three men, and she did not trust any of them to understand that. He looked out the window to where Maddy was still sitting on the porch and heaved a big sigh, there was a lot of ground to make up if he was ever going to see a glimmer of the teenage girl he remembered. Standing, Rip gathered up for the documents in front of him and took them back to John’s office. Walking back to the front door, Rip pulled his boots back on and retraced his steps. Upon returning to the kitchen, he threw Maddy’s omelet in the microwave to warm it up and walked out onto the porch with the plate in hand. She barely glanced at him before turning her gaze back to the darkness.

“I’m sorry for what I said, it was out of line,” Rip said quietly, setting the plate with a fork down on the table beside her, “Goodnight, Maddy.”

Maddy looked at him in surprise as an apology was a rare occurrence out of Rip Wheeler if she remembered correctly. Putting the animosity she felt for the whole situation aside, Maddy nodded in acknowledgment. 

“Goodnight, Rip,” Maddy said almost in a whisper, the first kind words that had come out of her mouth since she arrived. 

Rip waited until she took the plate and started eating before stepping off the porch toward his house. It had been a long day, but Rip had learned some valuable information about Maddy that could help him keep an eye on her without antagonizing her. After reaching his house and getting ready to turn in, Rip pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text hoping it would earn him some goodwill with the new addition to the ranch.


	3. Three

Kayce Dutton wished he could say that it was the beeping of his phone that had woken him up, but he had barely slept at all since the night Lee had died. He still could not bring himself to tell Monica what had happened, so they were barely talking. Blowing up the tree stump the day before had not helped, but at least Tate was happy with the dinosaur fossil, Kayce thought to himself as he looked at his phone from where he laid in bed. What he saw shocked him speechless.

“Who is it,” Monica asked, rolling over to look at him. 

“Huh…it’s Rip,” Kayce said, still in shock that his father’s foreman had texted him considering their relationship was barely civil. 

“What does he want?”

“He wants to know if I can take Maddy to her first physical therapy appointment this morning.”

“Really?”

“Apparently she’s not doing too good. Here,” Kayce said as he handed Monica the phone before getting out of the bed. 

“That’s an understatement, Kayce. He said she barely leaves her room and won’t talk to anyone.”

“If I go over there today, I’ll be taking Tate with me. That’s just inviting more involvement with my father, and that’s just asking for trouble.”

“Kayce, she needs help and you’ve been close to her for years. She’s the only one you’ve kept in constant contact since we left. Plus, Tate’s been asking to go to the ranch anyway,” Monica said as Kayce walked back into the room.

Kayce took his phone back and looked down at his wife, considering everything she had said.

“Besides, if Rip is bothering to text you about it, then she must be doing pretty bad considering he only really concerns himself with the ranch and Beth.”

“You’ve got a point,” Kayce said as he bent down and gave her a quick kiss. Monica smiled up at him, hoping that seeing Maddy would help Kayce open up as to what has been going on that he would not talk about. She was extremely concerned but Kayce was completely closed off. 

“I’ll see you guys later then.”

Kayce nodded before walking out of the bedroom to start breakfast for Tate, leaving Monica to hope that the day went well. 

~~~~~~~~

John Dutton walked into the family dining room at 6:30 a.m. for breakfast to find only Jamie finishing his meal. While he had been hoping Beth and Maddy would also be joining them, he had a lot on his mind so the limited company might not be a bad thing that particular morning. He was about to sit down and talk to his son when Jamie stood up suddenly. 

“Sorry, Dad, but I have to get going.”

“Early morning?”

“Yes. The governor’s assistant sent me a message this morning saying they need to see me as soon as possible.”

“Okay. Keep me updated.”

“Sure,” Jamie said with a smile before walking away, leaving John standing by his chair alone. Gator, the family cook walked in with a tray of food, as John pulled his chair out. 

“Gator, I don’t suppose you’ve seen Maddy this morning?”

“Yes, sir. She’s eating at the counter in the kitchen,” Gator said as he set the tray down and returned to the kitchen. 

“Huh,” John said. His son could not be bothered, and his daughter was probably sleeping off a hangover, but his niece had finally emerged from her room only to eat in the kitchen.

John shook his head before picking up his plate, filling it up with food, and taking it and his coffee into the kitchen. Maddy looked up, fork halfway to her mouth, as her uncle walked into the kitchen door with a smile on his face. 

“Mind if I join you?”

Maddy shrugged her shoulders and silently continued to eat as John made his way to the stool next to her. They ate in silence for several minutes before John spoke, “It’s definitely more peaceful eating in here.”

“If memory serves, meals are not peaceful in this house. I’m not quite ready for the dog and pony show that is the Dutton family meal.”

“I can understand that,” John said, both of them taking a drink of their coffee at the same time. 

They ate in easy silence, Maddy not having much to say, and John not wanting to push her to talk. When Maddy stood up and offered to take his plate to the sink, John finally breached the silence. 

“The first appointment with the physical therapist is at 10. I’d like to leave about 9:30 to head into town.”

“I’ll be ready,” Maddy said, filling the sink up with water to start cleaning up the breakfast dishes. John almost opened his mouth to say that Gator could do that, but he reconsidered and remained silent. If Maddy wanted to do dishes, John was not about to stop her considering it was a marked improvement to her being locked up in her room. 

“I’ll be down at the barn breaking a new horse,” John said, grabbing his hat as he walked out the backdoor without another word though a smile could be seen on his face. The incident the night before with Rip had finally broken Maddy’s self-imposed isolation, though John still was not sure where her head was at in all of this. While her mental state did worry him, he was going to take victories where he could find them at this point. John probably would have spent the morning stewing over his niece had Rip not approached with his new stallion.   
~~~~~~  
Jamie Dutton slammed the door of his sister’s bedroom shut in frustration. He had come to her with a legitimate issue, and all she could do is wallow in the anniversary of their mother’s death rather than help him come up with a plan. He walked downstairs into the living room, pushing a hand through his hair in frustration only to hear a groan with muffled swearing coming from Maddy’s room. In concern, Jamie walked to her partially opened door and stuck his head inside. 

“Everything okay in here?”

“No,” he heard her frustrated voice from the bathroom, “it’s not.”

“Maddy, do you need help?”

“Can you go find Beth?”

“She’s indisposed,” Jamie said, opening the door and walking in loudly enough that she could hear him.

“Then I suppose you’ll do,” Maddy said, walking out of the bathroom completely dressed save the t-shirt she was holding in her hand, “I accidently took off one of my bandages when I put on my sports bra.”  
Jamie watched as Maddy turned around and his surprise turned to shock at the sight of her back. Scar tissue could be seen peeking out of bandages on her lower back while one bandage several inches higher on the left side flapped against her skin with only one piece of tape holding it up. Jamie stepped closer to help, but the look of the still-healing wound made him hesitate.

“Maddy, I…”

“For fuck sake, if it bothers you that much either cover it back up or get out,” Maddy said, anger building up in her as Jamie continued to stare at her back while she looked at him over her shoulder. Jamie took a step back and looked her with absolute pity, the one thing Maddy did not want and she lost cool. 

“Get the fuck out and go get Beth,” Maddy yelled, causing Jamie to startle and walk quickly from the room only to find Rip standing outside. 

“What the hell is going on in there?”

“I went in to help…but I can’t…” Jamie said, his face going pale as he looked at the man next to him. 

“I’ll take care of it.”

“Where’s my father?”

“Down in the barn,” Rip said, nodding his head for Jamie to head out to see him before walking into Maddy’s room. The woman in question stood with her hands on her hips, head down and looking at her feet in frustration, when he knocked on the door. 

“For the love of God, what…”, Maddy said as she whipped around only draw up short upon seeing Rip standing there with a smirk on his face.

“What do you need help with?” 

Maddy sighed and turned back around to show him the bandage on her back, “It came off while I was getting dressed.”

Rip approached, making sure his face did not show any reaction to the scars on her back, and gently turned her by the shoulder to get a better look. 

“This one is going to need replacing. Do you have more clean bandages?”

“Hang on,” Maddy said, walking into the bathroom. She returned a few minutes later to find him waiting with the smile still on his face.

“What are you smiling about,” Maddy asked with narrowed eyes as she handed him the clean bandage and tap. 

Rip motioned with his free hand for her to turn around, earning him an eye roll as she did what he asked. She jumped a little when he first touched her to center the bandage but quieted at his chuckle. 

“I see you still know how to send Jamie running for the hills. Some things never change,” Rip said, gently taping the bandage down and adjusting the back of her bra to cover it as it was intended to. 

“Yeah well, he was always a little scared of me I think,” Maddy said, pulling her t-shirt on over her head when Rip backed away, surprised by how gentle he had been. 

“That’s what happens when he gets the crap kicked out of him more than once by a girl half his size,” Rip said with a chuckle, remembering how Maddy and Jamie used to scrap with Jamie not winning once of the numerous times they went head-to-head.

Maddy turned and looked at Rip before giving in to the chuckle and smile that was coming to the surface at the memory he had brought up. 

“See there…that’s the first smile I’ve seen since you arrived.”

“I haven’t had much to smile about these days,” Maddy said, the smile fading but sadness did not return to her eyes as she grabbed her over-the-shoulder bag.

“I know it,” Rip said, keeping his tone level without an ounce of pity, “when do you find out about them?”

Maddy looked up to see him motioning to her back and sat down on the end of her bed with a sigh, “Today after physical therapy. To tell you the truth, I’m a little scared about what the doctor will say. I was hoping the army would let me re-enlist once I healed up but if there’s been too much nerve damage, they’ll never let me go back to my old job.”

“You’d go back,” Rip asked, sitting next to her so that their shoulders almost touched. 

“In a heartbeat.”

“Well until you find out for sure, try not to worry on it. Besides, I have a surprise for you,” Rip said, climbing to his feet and walking out of her room without another word.

“What do you mean,” Maddy said, following him in confusion about what he was talking about and really not paying attention until they were on the front walk. 

Maddy was about to ask again what was going on when Rip stepped out of the way to reveal Tate running up the sidewalk toward her.

“Tate?”

“Aunt Maddy,” the little boy shouted in happiness as he threw himself at her. Maddy gathered him up in a hug only to see Kayce waiting by the truck with a smile on his face. 

“Oh, my goodness, you’re getting so big,” Maddy exclaimed as she put his feet back on the ground and turned to Rip with a surprised smile on her face. 

“I thought maybe Kayce could give you a lift to your appointments today.”

“You arranged this?”

“That’s two smiles in less than five minutes. Better be careful now or people are going to start thinking you’re likeable,” Rip said in a teasing tone before turning to Tate, who had taken Maddy’s hand.

“Now Tate, your grandpa is down at the corral breaking in his new horse. You better head down there or you’ll miss it.”

With those words Tate was off like a shot, running in the direction of the barn without so much as a second glance. Maddy walked up to Kayce and matched his goofy grin before being pulled into a hug by her favorite cousin. 

“It’s good to see you,” Maddy said, giving him a hard squeeze before taking a step back.

“You, too. Monica misses you and wants you to come for dinner one night this week.”

“Sure,” Maddy said before turning back to Rip as Kayce walked around to his side of the truck. “Thank you for this.”

“Yep,” Rip said, turning to walk away but stopping when Maddy took a hold of his hand to stop him. He turned back around to find her standing close enough to have to look up at him. Tipping his hat back to look down at her in uncertainty, Rip stood absolutely still as she reached up and planted a kiss on his cheek. 

“I mean it,” Maddy said as she stepped back, “thank you!”

“Always.”

Maddy quickly turned and climbed into the waiting truck, not looking back at him as Kayce pulled down the driveway. Rip stood for several moments, watching the truck drive away with a funny feeling in his gut, until movement to his left made him look away. Beth was standing a few feet away with a knowing look on her face.

“What?”

“I knew if anyone could get through to her, it would be you. You always could break through her stubborn streak when we were children. Boy, did she have a crush on you,” Beth said, lighting a cigarette.

“I’m just trying to help your father.”

“It’s nice to see that some things don’t change.”

“What does that mean,” Rip said, not expecting to have his words thrown back at him.

“That men only see what they want to see,” Beth said, walking back into the house and leaving Rip to think on her words as he made his way down to the barn.


	4. Four

Kayce and Maddy drove in silence down the driveway but once he turned on to the main road, Maddy finally turned to look at him. 

“You look like shit, Kayc.”

“It’s been a rough week or so,” Kayce said before glancing sideways at her, “And you’re one to talk. It looks like you haven’t had a full nights’ sleep in weeks and apparently you’re throwing hot sauce at people these days.”

“Oh my god, is that what this is about,” Maddy said in an exasperated tone.

“No, it’s about the fact that Rip, who doesn’t worry about anyone outside of himself and my father, is actually concerned.”

“He’s just doing his job now that John has made him my babysitter. Besides, he said something that deserved a hell of a lot more than a hot sauce bottle to the head.”

“He told me what he said and also that he did it on purpose.”

Maddy’s head snapped to look at him in surprise. 

“Have you even stopped to consider that Dad is trying to help you? I mean he brought you out here and asked Rip to watch out for you when you know that he probably has a dozen other things the man could be doing. Dad knew that Rip would get a rise out of you.”

“Oh, you mean like the way he tried to help you and Monica…”

“What was said about Monica was a long time ago, and Dad is trying to make up for it now by being a grandfather to Tate. My relationship with my father has nothing to do with your relationship with your uncle. Don’t let it cloud your relationship of a man who has always cared about your wellbeing and is trying to help.”

“I don’t need a babysitter.”

“From the way it looks right now, you kinda do. You’re one of the strongest people I know, you completed Ranger training for Christ-sake, but you’re wallowing in a type of guilt I know all too well. I don’t want to see you struggle like I do, so please let him help you…even if that means having Rip as a babysitter. And if you are struggling, call me yourself rather than pitching glass bottles at people.”

Maddy looked over at the concerned look on her cousin’s face and it melted her stubbornness in an instant. Nodding in agreement, Maddy reached over to give his arm a squeeze before turning to look out the window. The idea of talking to Kayce about what haunted her was not unappealing, they had talked at length over the years over their military service. But he seemed to be dealing with demons of his own right now, and she did not want to add to them. They rode into town chatting about everything and nothing in particular, covering topics that moved from Monica and Tate to Maddy’s lack of love life. Maddy was about to make her escape from the uncomfortable topic when Kacye pulled up in front of the clinic but he had one final remark.

“I see that Rip is still able to get both a rise and a smile out of you,” Kayce said with a smirk in her direction.

“Piss off,” Maddy said in exasperation as she quickly exited the vehicle and slammed the door on Kayce’s silent laughing. As she walked toward the door, Maddy just could not understand everyone found it so damn amusing that Rip was able to get under her skin. She started to consider possibilities that could be before shaking the thoughts from her mind. Rip belonged to Beth and that was all there was to it. 

Kayce let Maddy go into her appointments alone but only with the full understanding that Maddy would be honest about the prognosis. While he waited, Kayce grabbed a few things from the local grocery store that he knew was needed at his house. Maddy was waiting outside of the clinic by the time he made it back and quietly climbed into the truck. 

“Well?” 

“The physical therapist said I’m cleared to walk as much as I want and start increasing my activity. He’s ordering swimming twice a week before I start running again, but he said I should make a full recovery and be able to pass a re-enlistment physical.”

“That sounds promising. What about the other doctor?”

“It’s too soon to tell if the nerve damage is permanent, but the wounds are all healed except the one in the middle of my back,” Maddy said, her disappointment showing in her voice.

“Hey, it’s not an absolute no. Besides, if anyone can get through this it’s you,” Kayce said as he drove out of the clinic parking lot. Maddy gave him a small smile before turning her attention to looking out of the window. They drove in silence until they were pulling up the ranch drive when Maddy finally spoke.

“Kayce, I need you to tell me what happened to Lee.”

“What do you mean,” Kayce asked, looking uncomfortable. 

“I know he died and that you brought him home, but no one will talk about it at the house. I know something is bothering you, so spill it,” Maddy said, turning to Kayce with a look that said she would not take no for an answer. 

Kayce pulled over near where Lee, his mother, and the rest of their family was buried and shut off the car. Maddy sat and listed as he unburdened the events that led to Lee’s death for the next twenty minutes. When Kayce was finished, he heaved a sigh of relief at being able to tell someone the whole truth. 

“Kayce…have you told Monica about all of this?”

“All she knows is that her brother is dead and so is mine. She wants to know what is going on, but I can’t tell her. She’ll never look at me the same.”

“You need to be honest with her, Kayc, or nothing will ever get better,” Maddy said, leaning over to bump shoulders with him before opening the door. 

“Where are you going?”

“I think it’s time I paid my respects. Go get Tate and go home to see Monica.”

Maddy exited the car and slowly walked through the grass toward the family plot, leaving Kayce to continue his way up the driveway to the main house where his son and father were waiting. 

“Where’s Maddy,” John asked as he opened the passenger door for Tate, helping the boy with his seatbelt. 

“She wanted to visit Lee,” Kayce said, sadness apparent in his voice as he looked between his son and his father. 

“Did you tell her the truth?”

“I always tell Maddy the truth, Dad, and she already knew Lee was gone.”

“How did she know?”

“Lee wrote her letters almost every week since she joined the Army. When they stopped coming, she called me.”

John was shocked into silence, learning that his oldest and youngest child had kept in almost constant contact with his niece. Kayce saw looks of surprise and regret go across his father’s face as he processed this new information.

“Go and talk to her, Dad. I have a feeling she’s ready to open up,” Kayce said as he put the truck into gear and John closed the door. Tate yelled his goodbye out of the open window, but John barely heard it as he made his way slowly to the family cemetery. 

John approached the clearing to find Maddy sitting in front of Lee’s headstone, crying softly but quickly wiped her face her face as he approached and looked up. John slowly made his way to the ground, sitting next to her and gazing at his son’s tombstone. 

“Why do you think it is that my children don’t talk to me,” John said, never taking his eyes off the tombstone.

Maddy turned to look at her uncle, “What do you mean?”

“Kayce tells you more than he ever has told me, and I just found out that Lee’s been writing to you since you joined the Army.”

“Before that, actually. Lee and I have been writing to each other by letter or text message since my parents died.”

“Huh,” John said, turning to look at his niece, “and why is that?”

Maddy decided right away to answer honestly, “The fear of rejection and disappointment is a powerful thing.”

“Is that why you won’t talk to me?”

“When my parents died, no one asked me what I wanted. Instead, I was shipped back East to live with an uncle I barely knew when all I really wanted was to live out here. Lee and Kayce knew that, so they kept in touch with me.”

“It’s what your mom wanted, so you could finish school in one location. Why didn’t you say anything?

“Would you have listened? You had just lost your wife and then your sister, you didn’t need another teenager in the house. And I knew better than to ask.”

Maddy finished talking and turned away to look several yards away to where her mother’s stone was sitting, leaving John to consider everything she had just said. If he was being honest with himself, everything Maddy had just said was absolutely correct. He wouldn’t have listened then and he didn’t do a good job of listening now. 

“Well, I’m listening now…what do you want?”

“I want to go back to the Army, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen.”

John was about to answer when his phone dinged, pausing a minute to look at the text message he just received. 

“If you need to go, I understand. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t have Rip come find me.”

“Rip has his own errands to run right now,” John said, wondering how Rip’s trip to the medical examiner’s office was going before coming back to his niece, “Gator just texted that dinner is ready. How would you feel about a quiet dinner and we can continue this?”

“Okay,” Maddy said, remembering Kayce’s words about talking to John as she made her way to her feet. The brace on her leg made it a little difficult, but within seconds they were making their way slowly toward the house. The walk was at least two hundred yards causing Maddy to slow down considerably. 

“So, what did the doctor say,” John asked as he put a hand under her elbow to assist her up the stairs. 

“Physical therapy to start and swimming after the laceration on my back heals,” Maddy said as they both sat down in the empty dining room. 

“That all?”

“I can drive and walk as much as I want, though no running until after physical therapy is over. The neurologist said it’s too soon to tell whether or not I’ll have any nerve damage and until they know, the Army won’t make its decision on whether or not I can come back in.”

John filled a plate for her before filling his own plate. They ate in silence for several minutes, enjoying the quiet before John continued the conversation.

“Have you thought about doing something in the medical field?”

“I have most of the credits to become a registered nurse, but I couldn’t do the job until I recover. I think I only need two more classes, but I’d have to look into it. Until then, I need to find something to do before I go stir crazy.”

“Until then, I have a proposition for you.”

“Okay?”

“You’ve always liked ranch work, so how about I hire you as a groom. You’ll walk and feed the horses, help clean stalls, and patch up my guys if anything happens.”

“Bullet holes,” Maddy asked, pausing to look at her uncle. 

“I was thinking more minor injuries but yes, there could be bullet holes. It will give you something to do while you work things out and you’ll get paid.”

“I’m not worried about money, Uncle John.”

“That’s right. I forgot that the military medically retired you,” John said, catching that she called him uncle but not reacting outwardly. 

“I’d really like to have my Jeep and household stuff sent here, but there’s no point if I recover enough to go back.”

“We’ll look into getting you a vehicle and anything else you need while you’re here. I don’t want you to feel dependent on us for every little thing, especially now that you’re cleared to be more active.”

Maddy looked at him silently, a little surprised that he was talking about taking her car shopping like it was the most normal thing in the world, but then smiled and went back to her meal. This was the most they had talked to each other in years, and it was a lot to process in thirty minutes. Maddy was still thinking about their conversation when John asked a question she was not prepared for.

“Maddy, how are you doing?”

“Huh,” she said, looking up her fork halfway to her mouth.

“I realize that our relationship in the past few years has been sparse, and a lot of that is my fault. I haven’t asked since you’ve been back, but how are you doing?

“As good as can be expected, I suppose,” she said vaguely.

“You don’t look it,” John said with a smirk that finally achieved a chuckle out of his niece, “you look like you haven’t slept at all.”

“I try to sleep,” Maddy said, choosing to answer honestly, “but I keep seeing their faces or the entire thing replays over in my mind…taunting me that I could have done more.”

“Do you need to go talk to someone?”

“My CO wants me to, but I need to focus on my physical health. Do you understand?”

“I do,” John said with a smile, “until you’re ready to talk to a doctor, you can talk to me if you want or Kayce if it makes you feel more comfortable.”

“Or Rip,” Maddy said seriously before laughter burst out at the very idea of it. John was right behind her, laughing at the idea of his stoic foreman who did not speak unless it was necessary lending an ear to his niece. The very notion was quite funny, but their laughter was cut short when they heard the front door close and the man in question walked into the dining room.

“Sir, when you’ve finished, I need to speak to you,” Rip said, turning to leave but Maddy stopped him. 

“You can talk to him now, Rip. I’ll help Gator clean up,” Maddy said standing and taking both of their plates.

“Maddy, you don’t…”

“It’s fine, Rip,” she said with a smile as she walked around the table to leave the room but stopped right next to him, “have you eaten?”

Rip shook his head that he had not, “I’ll have a plate waiting for you in the kitchen when you’re done.”

John watched silently at the interaction between the man he trusted the most and his niece. She seemed to have cooled down when it came to Rip’s presence, being nice even which worried him slightly but to so much that he would say anything. As Maddy walked to the kitchen, John stood and walked to his office with Rip.

“She seems to be in a decent mood, sitting down to dinner and everything,” Rip said with a chuckle.

“For the first time in almost ten years, we actually sat down and had an honest conversation.”

Rip nodded as they sat down in his office, thinking his boss was going to tell him he could stop keeping an eye on her.

“But I’m not holding my breath,” John said, “it’s a small victory, yes, but she has a lot of baggage to deal with. I see that you two seem to be getting along better now that she’s thrown a bottle of hot sauce at your head.”

“I suppose. She had Jamie running for the hills this morning.” 

She’s going to start helping around the stables but you stick with her, Rip. I need the comfort of knowing she has a guardian angel right now.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Now, about that medical examiner?”

Maddy cleared the table and was helping Gator with the dishes when Rip eventually entered the kitchen. She grabbed a towel to dry her hands before setting a plate on the breakfast bar for him with a smile. Gator ducked out of the room as Rip took his jacket off and sat down to eat, a small smile on his face. 

“How were your appointments today,” Rip asked, listening intently while he ate. He could not quite put his finger on it but talking to Maddy had turned into an effortless action. Granted, it had only a day since she was hurling glass objects at his head, but they seemed to have come to some sort of an agreement to be civil with one another. 

Maddy has just finished talking when Beth came strolling into the kitchen.

“Hey Beth,” Maddy said, standing to give her cousin a quick hug once the older woman initiated the contact. 

“Maddy, it’s nice to see that you’ve finally joined the land of the living,” Beth said with a smirk before walking to the fridge, giving Rip a greeting as she walked by. 

“There are leftovers in the fridge.”

“Oh, I already ate. Just looking for something for desert,” Beth said before pulling a pint of ice cream out of the freezer. 

“Well, I’m going to turn in,” Rip said, standing to leave, “thanks for dinner, Maddy.”

“No problem,” she said, taking his plate with a nod. 

Rip smiled at both women and walked quickly out of the kitchen, causing Beth to laugh a little.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt your evening,” Beth said honestly, both women knowing that Rip left because he felt uncomfortable. 

“Did you guys have a fight or something?”

“What do you mean?”

“You and Rip have always been a thing, ever since we were kids,” Maddy said, leaning against the counter and looking at Beth.

“Rip and I haven’t been a thing for quite some time, Maddy.”

“So, you haven’t been screwing each other lately?”

“Right before Lee died was the last time, and then I ended it. What Rip wants, what he deserves is not something I can give. He needs to find someone who can,” Beth said, giving her a pointed look before saying good night and leaving the kitchen. 

Maddy stayed where she was for several minutes after, contemplating Beth’s words. Beth and Rip may not be together anymore, but it was clear to Maddy that he was not free of her yet.


	5. Five

A scream rang out through the main house on the Yellowstone Ranch, rousing the entire Dutton family from various levels of sleep. John came out of his room pulling his robe on to find Jamie and Beth already in the hallway looking at each other in sleepy bewilderment. He was about to tell them to go back to sleep when another yell rang through the house sending them all moving quickly down the stairs toward Maddy’s room. They walked in to find Maddy thrashing around on her bed still sound asleep. 

“Wake her up,” Jamie said, moving forward to the side of her bed and grabbing onto her shoulder before the words could come out of John’s mouth for him to stop. 

As soon as Jamie touched Maddy, her eyes flew upon and the arm he was not holding on to swung out, her fist connecting with his jaw. The force of her punch sent him reeling backward with a hand to his cheek where she had punched him.

“Damn it, Maddy,” Jamie said, stumbling backward. 

Beth went to step toward Maddy, but John’s hand stopped her and pulled her away from the bed.

“Not yet,” John said, making sure his daughter was not within Maddy’s reach as her eyes were still clouded with her nightmare. It took several seconds before her eyes began to clear and her breathing started to even out, but she still looked around wildly until her eyes landed on Jamie and then the rest of the family. 

“Shit,” Maddy breathed as she pushed her damp hair away from her face. 

“Fuck that hurts,” Jamie said, standing well away from his cousin.

John walked over to Jamie to look at his face while Beth walked to sit on the side of the bed next to Maddy, trying not to laugh at her brother. 

“Let’s go put some ice on that, son, while your sister sits with Maddy,” John said, pushing his son out of the room ahead of him so he would not hear his sister laughing once she could not contain it anymore. 

Beth, to her credit, managed to stifle her laughter once she saw how upset Maddy was about the whole thing.

“That was quite a shot to the face, though it’s not like he doesn’t deserve it most of the time,” Beth said in an attempt to use humor to help her feel better. When Maddy did not laugh, Beth moved to the side so Maddy could climb out of bed and walk to the bathroom without a word. When she did not emerge after several minutes, Beth followed to find Maddy splashing cold water on her face and leaning against the sink. 

“Maddy…”

“Beth, I’m sure you have some snarky comment ready, but I can’t handle that right now.”

“I was going to ask if you were alright,” Beth said, kindness evident enough in her voice that it made Maddy look up in surprise. 

“No, I’m not,” Maddy said after considering Beth’s question.

“When was the last time you got a full nights’ sleep?”

“You know the answer to that,” Maddy said, indicating that she had not slept well since returning from Afghanistan, “anytime I try to sleep I either can’t or when I do, this happens.”

Beth was about to reply when the bedroom door opened back up and John came in, seeing both girls standing in the bathroom doorway. 

“Is Jamie okay?”

“He’ll be fine, Maddy. Do you want to try and go back to sleep?”

“I probably won’t be able to,” Maddy said, rubbing her face, “what time is it?”

“Nearly four in the morning,” Beth said, looking at the clock on the bedside table. 

“Yeah, I may as well stay awake otherwise I’ll just toss and turn until then.”

“Dad, let’s try and get some more sleep,” Beth said, sensing that Maddy wanted to be alone, “we’ll be upstairs if you need us.”

“Okay,” John said with a smile in Maddy’s direction before following his daughter out of the room. Maddy waited until the door closed before walking back into the bathroom to start a hot shower for herself. It was going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~  
Rip made his way through the barnyard toward the bunkhouse at 5 a.m. with a cup of coffee in his hand. While he usually did not spend much time mothering the hands, Rip wanted to ensure that Jimmy was actually awake and getting ready for the day now that he was working on the ranch. Rip came around the horse barn with the bunkhouse in sight when he noticed several horses were eating in the paddock and lights in the barn were turned on. 

“Well shit, maybe Jimmy will make a cowboy after all,” Rip muttered under his breath as he walked into the barn but stopped in surprise after finding not Jimmy cleaning out stalls but Maddy.

“What the hell are you doing in here? It’s five in the morning,” Rip said, gesturing to the pile of dirty straw that she had been shoveling into the wheelbarrow before looking at his watch. 

“The doctor cleared me for activity, so Uncle John thought I could help out around here. You know, feeding and walking the horses. Patch the guys up when needed,” Maddy said, continuing to fill the wheelbarrow with dirty bedding.

“And the fact that you’re down here, already working, at 5 a.m.?”

“As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I don’t sleep much,” Maddy said in frustration as she stopped what she was doing to lean on the handle of the shovel, “so I figured I might as well get started.”

“That certainly explains the dark circles under your eyes,” Rip said, taking a drink of his coffee has he took in her exhausted and frustrated stance. 

“Thanks,” Maddy said turning back to her work. 

“How did you get down here?”

“I walked,” Maddy said, filling the wheelbarrow and setting the shovel to the side.

“Have you had breakfast?”

“Dammit, Rip! Don’t you have something better to do,” Maddy asked, really wanting to be left alone. The lack of sleep from the last several months and the nightmares were finally starting to take its toll.

“There will be breakfast in the bunk house in thirty minutes. Come grab some if you’re hungry,” Rip said before turning and walking toward the bunk house to make sure everyone was up and moving. 

Maddy sighed in frustration before moving the wheelbarrow out to the manure pile, continuing her work well past when Rip said breakfast would be ready. She just wanted to work until she was tired enough to actually sleep. 

An hour later, Rip was walking toward the cattle barn when John and Jamie walked up to him to talk about what else needed to be done to keep Kayce clear of trouble. Rip paused, coffee cup halfway to his mouth, upon seeing Jamie’s bruised face.

“What the fuck happened to you?”

“He tried waking Maddy up from a nightmare…”, John started to explain.

“…and received this for my trouble,” Jamie finished, looking annoyed and embarrassed at the same time. 

“That explains a lot,” Rip said, trying not to laugh, “she packs quite a wallop.”

“Speaking of which, have you seen her?”

“She’s been in the barn since before five this morning and not in the best of moods.”

“Jamie and I are going to talk with the vet about using his incinerator tonight, so just keep an eye on her until I get back.”

“Yes, sir.”

John nodded at Rip before walking toward his truck with Jamie following quickly behind him. Rip sighed before walking toward where the guys were waiting to give them their orders for the day. There were several fences that needed repairing and part of the herd needed to be moved to the north pasture. After speaking with Lloyd and the rest of the hands for several minutes, Rip left them to saddle their horses while he went looking for Maddy, finding her laying fresh bedding in the barn. 

“I saw Jamie’s face this morning,” Rip said as he leaned against the side of the stall door. 

“Does it look bad?”

“He’ll survive. I’m heading up to the pasture six to help move the heard, but I’ll have my cell phone on me. We should be back by lunch.”

“Sure. Anything specific you’d like me to do?”

“What you’re doing is fine, but if you start to get tired, don’t hesitate to head back to the house. There’s no point in reinjuring yourself on the first day.”

Maddy nodded and continued to spread fresh straw on the floor but paused when she felt Rip walk up next to her. She looked up at him to find uncertainty on his face, an inner struggle between coddling her or leaving her be.

“Rip, I’ve already been through hell and did not break. Go do your work and I’ll see you at lunch.”

“Alright,” the man said, still unsure about leaving her alone for the whole morning. Every instinct in him screamed that he should take her with him or stay, but he ignored it. Walking up to his saddled horse, Rip followed the men toward pasture six though his mind was elsewhere. 

~~~~~~~~  
Rip rode easily back into the barnyard around noon with most of the men coming from their various tasks close behind him. The herd had been moved and most of the holes in the fences patched, so it had been a good start to the day. He climbed off his horse and walked toward the bunk house hoping to find Maddy inside but only finding Gator in the kitchen.

“Gator, has Maddy been in?

“No, not at all,” the man said, continuing to lay lunch on the table. 

“Did you see her come in for breakfast?”

“I haven’t seen her all day. She was not up at the house either.”

“Hmm,” Rip said, exiting the bunkhouse almost immediately and walking toward the stable. He called out for Maddy but received no reply, causing him to check every stall only to find nothing. Rip was almost in a near state of panic as he walked out of the stable toward the men. 

“Maddy’s missing. Everyone spread out and look for her down here, and I’ll check the house,” Rip said, climbing back into his horse and taking off at a lope.

Fifteen minutes later, Rip was back in the barnyard with everyone still scattering to find their boss’s niece when Lloyd came back from searching the outbuildings. 

“Did you check your place?”

“Why would she be in my house?”

“We’ve checked everywhere else, son.”

“Shit,” Rip said, inwardly cursing himself for ignoring his instincts and leaving Maddy alone that morning. 

Sighing in frustration, Rip uttered another expletive as he walked in the direction of his house, situated halfway between the stable and the main house. His frustrated sigh turned to one of relief upon opening his front door and finding Maddy asleep on his couch with pillows under her leg and a bag of frozen peas on her knee. After quietly calling Lloyd to let him know he had found her, Rip approached to stand near her waist and looked down at her. She was clearly exhausted to have let him walk up next to her without waking but he was aware that she would swing at him like she had Jamie if she was startled awake. As he backed away to stand near her feet, Rip noticed a black dog tag hanging from a chain around her neck having fallen from underneath her shirt while she slept. Bracing himself for a bad reaction, Rip gently took hold of her boot and gave it a quick shake. Maddy’s eyes opened slowly but then flew open upon seeing the ranch foreman standing over her in his living room. 

“Rip,” Maddy exclaimed, sitting up quickly and jostling the bag of peas to where it was going to fall onto the floor if Rip had not reached out to catch it. 

“We’ve been searching the ranch for the last fifteen minutes looking for you,” Rip said sternly as he sat on the coffee table next to her knees, “what in the world are you doing in here?”

Maddy grimaced and rubbed her knee before answering, “My knee started to hurt so I headed back up to the house, but this was as far as I got. It was either come in here or sit out on your porch, and I needed something cold to put on my knee.”

“And then you fell asleep,” Rip said, taking his hat off, setting it on the table and standing up.

“I was tired,” Maddy replied, attempting to stand only to be pushed back down by Rip. 

She landed on the couch with a surprised look as he stacked pillows on the coffee table and re-elevated her leg. Taking the bag of peas with him, Rip walked into his kitchen and pulled a fresh bag of frozen vegetables out of the freezer, putting the used one back inside. As he walked back, Rip quickly dialed Lloyd on his phone and asked for Jimmy to bring two plates of lunch up to his house immediately. 

“Rip, I don’t need you…”

“Did you eat breakfast,” Rip asked, ending his phone call and approaching to put the frozen bag on Maddy’s knee. 

“No,” she replied sheepishly. 

“Then shut up and do as your told for once,” Rip said good naturedly as he sat in the recliner that stood next to the couch. 

Maddy did not reply, instead settling herself onto Rip’s couch so she was a little more comfortable and looked around. The house was decorated very simply with a few prints of landscapes were in frames up on the walls. The furniture looks to be oak and well-used, probably left over from the previous foreman Maddy surmised. Rip was not one to spend money on frivolous things like new furniture when the old ones would suit him just as well. Maddy’s eyes would have continued to wander if Rip had not interrupted her musings with a question. 

“Who is Tyler,” the man said, noticing Maddy’s eyes snap to him in a guarded but questioning look only to have Rip point at the black dog tag that was normally kept hidden under her shirt.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Maddy said firmly, quickly putting the dog tag back inside her shirt.

“He was one of the ones you couldn’t save, wasn’t he,” Rip asked quietly, having a good idea where this conversation was going.

Maddy shook her head and quickly swiped away at the water that began to fill her eyes at the idea of talking about the whole thing. 

“I said, I don’t want to talk about it. If that is where this conversation is headed, I’d rather just take my lunch up to the house.”

“You know,” Rip said, sitting next to her on the couch, “talking might help.”

Maddy scoffed as she sniffed and looked up at the ceiling before leveling him with a stare, “You mean like you, Rip. You being this paragon of opening up with your maddening ability to compartmentalize.”

“Huh,” Rip said as he stood to answer the door where Jimmy stood with their food, “I supposed that’s true.”

Rip sent Jimmy back to the bunk house with barely more than a sentence before walking back into the living room and handing Maddy a plate of food. They continued to eat in silence until Maddy spotted a 5x7 frame on a table to her right.

“I remember that summer,” Maddy said, reaching over to pick up the frame and looking at the picture inside from the last summer she had spent at the ranch before her parents died. Lee and Rip had been sitting on the tailgate of Uncle John’s truck with her sandwiched in between, all laughing about something that she could not remember. Rip’s arm was slung around Maddy’s shoulder, and they were both leaning toward Lee.

“That was one of my favorite summers,” Rip said as he looked at the picture, “your mom insisted I was included in everything that year…rafting, hiking, all of it.”

“That was the last summer before my parents died,” Maddy said, looking at the picture intently, “what were we doing?”

“I honestly cannot remember, but I do remember is was the best summer I ever had,” Rip said fondly before returning to his meal. 

Maddy put the picture down and did the same. They had just finished eating when Rip’s phone rang and he picked it up quickly. 

“Yes, sir?”

“Yes, she’s with me,” Rip said as he stood and walked into the kitchen. Maddy cleaned up the paper plates and followed after to find him hanging up the phone. 

“Well?”

“Your uncle wants you up at the house. Something about Beth taking you shopping.”

“Fantastic,” Maddy said sarcastically, both of them smiling at the thought of it. Rip walked her out of his front door and up toward the main house, his hand under her elbow the whole time to keep her steady. It was a comforting gesture though Maddy found it a little strange coming from Rip, but she was unable to fully examine that thought as John and Beth were waiting for them when they walked into the kitchen door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did some updating as I didn't like how some of it read out.


	6. Six

Beth walked into her father’s house to find John standing in the kitchen with a mug of coffee, waiting for her. 

“Hey Daddy,” Beth said, setting her briefcase down on the counter.

“I need you to do me a favor.”

“What’s that?”

“Rip, Jamie and I have to take Lee…,” John had to pause before he could finish, “…take Lee’s body tonight. If they decided to autopsy him, Kayce will likely be charged with murder.”

“Then do whatever needs to be done. We promised her we would protect Kayce,” Beth said with finality, the matter closed to further discussion.

“What I need you to do is to keep Maddy away from here. With everything else, she doesn’t need to know about this.”

“I agree. I’ll take her shopping,” Beth said with a nod.

“Shopping?”

“Dad, have you seen her closet? The only clothes she has are either uniforms or the three outfits that are non-government issue…and even those include tactical pants.”

“Shopping then,” John said, pulling out his phone to call Rip, “oh, order her a ranch credit card. She’ll need to buy medical supplies for us I’m sure.”

“Okay.”

Beth walked to the fridge to grab something to snack on while her father called Rip. A few minutes later, they were all standing in the living room.

“Why are you taking me shopping,” Maddy asked, looking dubiously between everyone. 

“Outside of uniforms, how many clean pairs of clothes do you have with you,” Beth asked, her arms crossing over her chest. 

“Well I two weeks’ worth of socks and underwear plus I can wear my uniform t-shirts…,” Maddy began to defend why she didn’t need to shop before Beth cut her off. 

“I rest my case. I’m taking you shopping, so go shower.”

Maddy looked between Beth and John for a second before sighing in defeat, causing Rip to stifle a laugh as she walked away. Once she was gone, John turned to Rip. 

“You could have just sent her up here.”

“Well, when we came back from moving cattle, I couldn’t find her anywhere near the barn.”

“Where was she?”

“On my couch,” Rip said, noting the look of confusion on Beth and John’s faces, “she had attempted to walk back up here but only made it to my house before her leg started to bother her. We need to get her something to drive, sir.”

“That’s being delivered tomorrow,” John said, mentally moving on in spite of the surprised looks he received from his daughter and foreman. 

“You bought her a car,” Beth asked in surprise.

“Not exactly. I talked with Kayce about what she would like and then bought another vehicle for the ranch for her to use while she’s here,” John said before moving on to question Rip about what work had been accomplished throughout the day. They were still talking when Maddy emerged wearing black tactical pants, Army-issued boots, and a t-shirt. Her hair was still wet from her shower and was hanging in a braid over her shoulder. 

“I’m ready,” Maddy said, pulling her sling backpack over her head and putting on her sunglasses. 

Beth took in her appearance and turned toward her father gesturing toward Maddy’s clothes, “Case in point. Let’s go.”

“Aren’t you going to change, Beth,” Maddy said taking in her business attire. 

“After we’re done shopping, you’re going to drop me off at the Cedars Resort. I need to ruin someone’s day,” Beth said with a grin before grabbing her purse and keys. 

“Okay,” Maddy said, saying goodbye to John and Rip before following Beth out of the front door toward her car. 

John moved to his office to make some phone calls while Rip followed the girls out of the house, stopping on the front porch to watch them get into the car and drive away. It was not until the car was out of sight that Rip went home to cook something for dinner. It was going to be a busy night, so it was either take food along or go without. 

~~~~~~~  
Four hours later, Maddy was in the dressing room of their fourth store and her head felt like it was going to explode. They had started easy with a department store so Maddy could buy essential clothes: jeans, t-shirts, underwear, socks, and toiletries. After purchasing five bags worth, Maddy had thought they were done. Beth had disagreed, dragging her to the shopping district of Boseman to visit the boutiques that she favored. What had followed involved Maddy trying on dresses, sweaters, lingerie, high-heeled shoes, and other dressier clothes that Beth insisted were necessary. 

“Beth, where am I going to wear clothes like these? I’m going to be working on the ranch.”

“Cattleman’s Association functions, dinners, and charity benefits. You’re a Dutton and need to be able to represent the family when necessary.”

Beth heard Maddy let out an exasperated sigh before continuing, “He’ll think you look nice.”

“Who,” Maddy said, having no idea who she was talking about as she tried on a black, lace bra. 

“Rip.”

Maddy stopped looking in the mirror and stuck her head out of the curtain to give her cousin a confused look, “Why would Rip care what I’m wearing?”

“He’s always had a thing for you, Maddy, ever since we were kids.”

“I think you’re confusing me with you,” Maddy said, going back inside the dressing booth and looking at herself in the mirror. 

“Does it fit?”

“I think so,” Maddy said only to have Beth stick her head around the curtain to take a look.

“It looks nice. I’ll grab you a couple more colors and you can choose bottoms to match,” Beth said, disappearing without another word. 

Maddy took the bra off and put her own clothes back on. Once she was standing next to Beth to pick out matching panties, Beth turned to her. 

“Maddy, I have always been the consolation prize. Rip always knew he did not have a shot at you since you only came out for the summers. Plus, he was always too afraid of your mom to pursue anything,” Beth said, honesty reflecting in her eyes, “then when your parents passed away, he gave up completely. You never came back, and he settled for me. I never minded since I was never looking for anything permanent, but Rip has always wanted something more than a fling.”

Beth walked toward the cashier with Maddy’s choices, leaving her to follow slowly as she thought about what Beth had said. She had honestly never given the idea any thought, always assuming that Rip and Beth were together. Now that she shuffled back through her memories, Maddy did recall that Rip always seemed to be watching out for her and that he was always in the shadows near her. As she got older, Maddy had started resenting the constant presence whenever she visited, always attributing it to Rip’s undying loyalty to her uncle. The animosity she had felt toward her Uncle John had spilled over onto his foreman as she had gotten older, but Beth’s words brought their relationship into a different perspective and gave her a lot to think about. Fifteen minutes later, Maddy was pulling Beth’s car up to the Cedar Resort to drop her off. 

“If I need a ride, I’ll call someone,” Beth said, getting out of the passenger side seat, “go have some fun.”

“Are you sure,” Maddy said, watching Beth light a cigarette. 

“You could use some fun, just don’t crash my car,” Beth said with a smile before walking inside.

Maddy waited until she was out of sight before pulling away from the valet stand. She had seen a few decent looking bars on their way to the Cedars, so she decided to unwind with a game of pool before driving home for the night.

~~~~~  
Rip walked into his house and collapsed in his recliner with a sigh and tipped his head back to look at the ceiling. It was going on ten in the evening after what had been a draining day, and Rip was exhausted. He was just about to pull his boots off when his phone rang with an unidentified number on the screen. 

“Hello,” Rip asked, picking it up after the third ring. 

“Rip,” a familiar voice asked. 

“Yes. Who is this?”

“This is Deputy Hendricks. I have a Maddy Johnson in custody here at Deerfield’s after an altercation with a few local boys. When I asked her who to call, she gave me your number.”

Rip sighed and heaved himself out of his chair, “I’ll be right there.”

“Thanks, Rip.”

Rip exited his house and walked toward the main house when the very person he was looking for came stalking out of the house. 

“Jamie, I need your help with something.”

“I can’t right now, I have to run into town and pick her up,” Jamie said, walking toward his SUV.

“Wait, how did you know she needed a right? The deputy just called me.”

Jamie turned to Rip in surprise, “What do you mean? She didn’t say anything about cops, only that she was too drunk to drive.”

“Wait,” Rip said, realizing they were not talking about the same things, “who was too drunk to drive?”

“Beth. Who are you talking about?”

“Maddy,” Rip said, sighing with his hands on his hips, “apparently she got into some kind of fight with some guys at Deerfield’s.”

“This night just keeps getting better and better,” Jamie said, motioning toward the vehicle, “get in. We’ll deal with yours first.”

Twenty minutes later, Rip and Jamie walked into the bar to find Maddy sitting on a stool with her hands cuffed in front of her, paramedics attending two guys who were sitting on the floor, and sheriffs’ deputies standing around waiting. Maddy looked up to see who walked in and heaved a frustrated sigh as Hendricks nodded to Rip.

“What is he doing here,” Hendricks said as he looked at Jamie. 

“Acting as my cousin’s legal counsel. Now why is she in custody?”

“Cousin?”

“The woman you have handcuffed there is Madison Dutton Johnson,” Jamie said, noticing the deputy’s face pale a little, “and a Medal of Honor recipient. Now answer my question.”

“She’s not in custody per say, but we did need to make sure she stayed calm,” Hendricks said, fishing out a handcuff key and handing it to Rip.

“Fun day out, huh,” Rip said with a chuckle as he uncuffed Maddy and helped her down from the stool. He could not help but notice the bruising on her knuckles or the one forming on her left cheek. 

“A blast,” Maddy said, rubbing her wrists with a grimace as Rip looked her over in concern, “I’m fine.”

“I’m still waiting for an answer,” Jamie said firmly, his inner lawyer on full display in front of the police. 

“By all accounts, Maddy was playing pool…”

“And minding my own business,” Maddy interjected angrily. 

“And minding her own business,” Hendricks repeated before continuing, “These two gentlemen approached and asked to buy her a drink. Maddy refused, and they would not take no for an answer. When she turned away to ignore them, the bartender said things got physical when one of them grabbed her.”

“And I defended myself,” Maddy interjected to Jamie again. 

“She broke one guys nose and likely dislocated his shoulder while the other one has a fractured eye socket.”

“But she was defending herself,” Rip practically growled at Hendricks, “so why was she in handcuffs.”

“Excessive use of force. She had been drinking.”

“I had three drinks!”

“A war hero reacted in self-defense against two men twice her size. Do you really think excessive force is going to fly considering that they are able to walk out of here,” Jamie asked in an accusatory tone that had Hendricks backing off quickly. 

“Can we get out of here,” Maddy asked, really just wanting to go home. 

“Yes,” Jamie said, motioning for Rip to take her outside, “I’ll be calling the Sherriff tomorrow to talk about charges against these two.”

Hendricks looked visibly worried as Jamie turned and followed Rip out the door behind Maddy. She handed Rip the keys to Beth’s car as they walked through the parking lot. 

“Take her home. I’ll go get Beth,” Jamie said as he walked toward his vehicle. 

While Rip drove home, Maddy looked silently out of the window. He stole an occasional glance in her direction before catching sight of the bags in the bag seat. 

“Looks like you did some shopping,” he said with a laugh. 

“Eight percent of those bags were not my idea, but she insisted,” Maddy said before returning to silence. 

Rip did not say anything else until he was pulling Beth’s car up next to the main house, “Let’s get you inside.”

Rip parked the car and walked around to hold Maddy’s door open as she stepped out of the vehicle. Quickly saying she would grab the bags in the morning, she walked toward the back porch with Rip beside her. He wanted to make sure she was safely inside though at this point the damage had been done. Maddy said goodnight and turned away but Rip stopped her.

“Wait,” Rip said, gently turning her face with a hand on her jaw to get a good look, “you’re going to have quit the shiner tomorrow.”

“Wouldn’t be my first,” Maddy said, though her breath hitched a little at how close he was to her. 

When Rip did not remove his hand and turned Maddy’s face to look in her eyes, Beth’s words came flooding back into her mind. After a second of hesitation, Maddy moved forward and kissed him gently on the lips. After several seconds of him not responding, Maddy realized her mistake as Rip gripped her upper arms and moved her away from him. Rip watched as her face scrunched in confusion for mere seconds before anger and embarrassment passed through her expression. He watched in silence as Maddy stepped back from his grasp and went into the house without a word. 

Rip sighed at the whole situation and turned to walk away, mentally telling himself that he had done the right thing in not kissing her back. In reality, Rip had wanted to do nothing more than wrap his arms around her and kiss her back, but he knew it was not a good idea at this moment. As he stepped down off the porch, Rip finds Beth standing there. 

“That could have been handled better.”

“Beth, she’s been drinking and she’s vulnerable…”

“I know that! It still could have been handled better. Outside of Kayce, you are the one person she trusts to open up to. Now she’s going to be so self-conscious about kissing you, you’ll be lucky if she talks to you at all.”

Beth walked into the house without another word while Rip lowered his head in frustration. The jolt he had felt when their lips touched was unlike anything he had ever felt for anyone else, including Beth. Ignoring his first instinct to kiss her back had been the best thing for Maddy to protect her from doing something she might regret later. Rip walked back to his house knowing he was now in a no-win situation with someone he deeply cared about.


	7. Seven

One Week Later 

Rip walked out of his house, his foul mood apparent on his face, with two cups of coffee in his hand as he moved steadily toward the stable. It had been an absolute week from hell since the night he had picked Maddy up at Deerfield’s. Beth had been right, Maddy had absolutely avoided him in any way possible. The morning after their kiss was when he knew that he had definitely screwed up. John had bought a Jeep Wrangler with the ranch’s logo on the door for Maddy to drive while she stayed at the ranch. Rip himself had driven the vehicle up to the main house as a surprise only to have her excitement when she saw it was him getting out from behind the wheel. Maddy barely made eye contact as he held the door open for her to climb in and closed it gently behind her. Rip had hoped it would get better after that day, but it only managed to get worse. 

Maddy had become an expert at either avoiding him or being angry with him. She was in the stable at five in the morning if not earlier to clean the stalls and feed the horses, now that she was going to physical therapy four days a week. Therefore, she was gone from the ranch before he had a chance to find her before work. After which, Maddy usually hit the recreational center to swim and workout. This mean she was never home until he was busy with the days’ work. He had managed to find her alone, but whenever he would try to talk to her about anything other than the ranch, Maddy got an angry look on her face and said to leave her alone. Even his attempts to assist with the converting of one of the empty stalls into a medical clinic were constantly rebuffed. The boss had told her to grab the guys whenever she needed help, and Rip’s recollection of the first time she walked into bunk house made him shake his head and smirk as he stood leaning against the coral watching the sun rise. 

Three days after the kiss lunch had just wrapped up in the bunk house, and Rip was standing next to the table telling everyone what they would be doing in the afternoon when the door opened. Rip turned to see Maddy walk in, looking at him with a neutral expression before her eyes fell on Lloyd.

“Maddy,” the older man said with a smile as he stood and walked toward her for a hug, “it’s about time I got my hug.”

“Uncle Lloyd,” Maddy said, easily slipping back into the relationship they had had when she was a child. Maddy had always trailed after him from a very early age anytime she was on the ranch, often preferring his company over her uncles. Her first memories of riding on a horse were sitting in front of Lloyd on his own mount at the age of five after begging her mother to spend the day with the seasoned cowboy. He had had a hand in almost every skill she had learned at the ranch from riding to shooting. 

Lloyd stepped back and took a good look at her, “Welcome home, squirt. What brings you down here?”

“Uncle John said I could borrow some help to clean out the stall for a clinic. Oh, and I’m going to need someone to come to town with me for medical supplies,” Maddy said, more in Rip’s direction though she would not look at him. 

Before Rip could even form a reply, Colby, Ryan, and Jimmy were both volunteering for whatever help Maddy needed. Rolling his eyes, Rip took in Lloyd’s amused look before conceding that whatever he had planned for the afternoon had just flown out the window. 

“How can we help?”

“Who said anything about you,” Maddy said in a snappy tone before turning back to the other men in the room though none of them missed the tension between her and the foreman. After explaining what exactly she needed done, Maddy turned and left without another word. Rip quietly told his men to clean up lunch and get to work before following her outside, having noticed her limping as she walked away. 

“Maddy,” Rip said loudly, though the woman in question did not stop walking away from him.   
Rip sighed and jogged to get next to her and gently took hold of her arm, “Will you wait a second?”

“What do you need, Rip,” Maddy asked, taking her arm out of his grasp and crossing them across her chest. 

“I wanted to ask how you were doing but you seem to be avoiding me.”

“How perceptive of you,” Maddy replied sarcastically. 

Rip let the comment slide and moved to stand in front of her to wait for an answer. 

“I’m fine. Is that all?”

“Maddy, you’re limping, and you look exhausted. Are you even sleeping? Maybe you’re pushing yourself too hard.”

“Look, I know it’s your job to keep an eye on me, but I get to decide when I’m pushing myself to hard. The sooner I complete rehab and can reenlist, the sooner I can leave, and you won’t have to worry about it anymore. You were right that kissing you was a bad idea, so let’s just leave it at that,” Maddy said, a hurt look flitting across her face for an instant before the walls were back up. Rip could not even formulate an explanation before the guys were filing out of the bunk house ready to help Maddy with whatever she needed, and the moment was gone. They had not seen each other since. 

Rip was leaning against the corral with, his mind still on that last conversation, when John walked up to his foreman. 

“You look a million miles away,” John said, reaching for the cup of coffee that Rip was holding for him. 

“Yes, sir,” Rip said, continuing to look out over the landscape. 

“I’m assuming it has something to do with Maddy considering you went from fighting to her sleeping on your couch to fighting again. What to tell me about it?”

“No sir, not really,” Rip said quietly, really hoping to avoid this conversation with his boss all together. 

“Fair enough. I’ll let you two kids sort it out, but if I could offer some advice?”

“Yes, sir?”

“If she is as stubborn as her mother was, and I’m pretty sure she is, you’re going to have to force the issue. Give her no other choice but to talk about it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Enough said. Let’s get started with the day,” John said, turning to walk toward the barn with Rip next to him. Rip was not given a lot of time to think about the situation as John had more than a days’ worth of work for Rip and the men. It was going to be a long day for sure, which Rip was thankful for. A busy day meant less time for his mind to wander. 

~~~~~~  
Maddy walked into the stall of the last horse that needed to be fed at the end of the evening and sighed as she lifted the bucket up onto the hook. It had been a long week with a ton of drama. Between the kiss with Rip and Beth having a small meltdown on the anniversary of her mother’s death, complete with nude bathing in a trough, Maddy was exhausted. Even though she had done her best to avoid him, Rip had still managed to attempt to talk to her about their failed kiss. He seemed to what to make some sort of explanation, but Emma just wanted to forget about it and for things to go back to the way they had been before. Emma started to think about how that could remotely be possible as she brushed the horse next to her when she heard yelling and commotion outside of the stable window. 

Maddy quickly walked outside to find Jimmy fighting with Fred, who was a complete asshole all of the time. As Maddy approached, Jimmy took two punches to the face before being shoved up against the stable while the other men just stood by and watched. Squaring her shoulders, Maddy stepped up behind Fred as he drew back for another punch and jerked him backward by the arm while simultaneously sticking her leg out, causing Fred to fall flat onto his back with a huff. Maddy went and stood next to Jimmy, checking on him quickly before turning back to Fred as he climbed to his feet. 

“You need to mind your business, girl,” Fred snarled at her angrily. 

“You need to pick on someone your own size,” Maddy said, not backing down for an instant. 

Before Jimmy could say that he had started it, Fred charged Maddy to take a swing at her not realizing that Rip had witnessed the whole thing and stalked up behind him. Maddy was about to move out of Fred’s reach when Rip grabbed him by the waist, picked up him, and threw him to the side like a rag doll. Maddy jumped a little in surprise as Rip picked the man up and threw him into the fence and then into the side of the barn. She went to intervene when Rip stalked over to where Fred was lying on his back and stepped onto his chest.

“What’s the rule about fighting, Fred? You wanna fight somebody, you come fight me! I’ll fight you all damn day!”

“I started it,” Jimmy said, looking at Rip while trying to catch his breath. 

Rip walked to Jimmy and pulled down the front of his shirt to reveal the Yellowstone brand. 

“Shit,” Maddy said, looking at the brand before looking at Fred with pity.

“You see this,” Rip asked, turning Jimmy so everyone, including Fred, could see his brand, “you know what that means? It means don’t fucking touch, Fred.”

Rip waited a beat before turning back to Ryan and Colby, “Now you guys can go in and get the supper that you didn’t earn.” 

Both men turned and walked to the bunk house without a word before Rip turned to Maddy, his eyes cold with fury, “Get him patched up.”

The steel laced in his voice kept Maddy from saying anything as she took Jimmy’s arm, “Let’s go.”

“I didn’t start it. He said it,” Fred said as Maddy pulled Jimmy away though she did not miss the flick of Lloyd’s whip against Fred’s face before turning away completely. She pulled Jimmy along with her toward the bunk house, knowing they would have a first aid kit inside and not wanting to be near the stable to hear what was going to happen next. There was only one fate for someone who touched a branded man, and Maddy did not want to hear Rip say it. 

Maddy told Jimmy to take a seat in one of the kitchen chairs while she grabbed the kit from underneath the sink. Ryan and Colby sat at the table keeping their eyes down while eating dinner, neither wanting to say anything after what had happened. 

“Alright, Jimmy,” Maddy said as she put the kit on the table and tilted his chin to get a look at his cut up face, “let’s get these cleaned up.”

Maddy cleaned his cuts and just finished taping them closed when the door to the bunk house burst open and Rip walked in looking absolutely infuriated. He came to a stop next to Maddy with his hands on his hips.

“What in the hell were you thinking,” he seethed in a raised voice, growing even more frustrated when Maddy continued to work on Jimmy without even looking at him.

“I was thinking that Jimmy was going to get his ass kicked, and no one else was stepping in,” Maddy said with a pointed look at both men eating at the table who had the good sense to look guilty. 

“I need a word outside,” Rip said in a dangerously low voice, not wanting to lose his cool in front of everyone. 

“Just a second…”

“Now,” Rip growled, taking Maddy by the elbow and steering her firmly outside before she could say anything else. Once outside, he let go and turned to take in her angry expression.

“Are you out of your fucking mind?”

“Jimmy needed help and…”

“Jimmy started it! He said so himself! Do you have any idea what a man like Fred could have done to you? Especially considering your injuries as well-known to everyone here. He could have seriously hurt you!”

“I can take care of myself, Rip. Or haven’t you noticed?”

“I’ve noticed. In fact, you never let us forget it considering you’ve been in two fights in a week. What are you trying to prove by stepping in with someone as dangerous as Fred?”

“I’m not trying to prove anything,” Maddy practically yelled back at him, her own temper flaring to match his. 

“Right,” Rip said, not believing it for a second, but he was tired of tiptoeing around her. “I know you’re in a rush to get back to your unit, so just do your rehab, finish your chores, and stay out of the stuff that does not concern you. The men who work here are dangerous.”

“Oh yes, because Jimmy and Colby are just so dangerous,” Maddy said sarcastically, but it all became clear when Rip merely looked at her. 

“You mean like you,” Maddy said, looking him straight in the eyes.

“Yes, like me! You have no idea what I’m…”

“What? What you’re capable of? Do you really think that I do not know what will happen to Fred when he leaves this ranch tonight?”

Rip froze in surprise, never having considered that Maddy could know exactly what type of additional duties he performed for her uncle. Maddy took his momentary lapse into silence to step toward his face. 

“You do not get to dictate what I do around here or who I choose to stand up for. I didn’t ask for you to step in because I could have handled Fred, so stop interfering and leave me alone,” Maddy practically yelled before turning on her heel and walking toward where the Jeep was waiting. 

Climbing in without another word, Rip was still standing in the same spot as she drove past him toward the main house. He was still standing there when Kayce came around the corner not thirty seconds later looking for him. 

“What do you want?”

“I need a horse,” Kayce said as he moved toward the barn, “Dad’s not back yet with Tate.”

"This is a day from hell," Rip muttered as he followed after Kayce without another word. 

When Maddy pulled up next to the back door of the house, Beth was standing outside watching her and smoking a cigarette. Maddy climbed out of the Jeep and walked toward her cousin.

“Go shower,” Beth said without preamble.

“Okay,” Maddy asked as she came up next to her. 

“You need to blow off some steam after what I just saw,” Beth said, motioning toward the barn, “we’re going out.”

The look on Beth’s face said she was not taking no for an answer, so Maddy was really not surprised to find Beth in her closet perusing through her new wardrobe when she came out wrapped in a towel. 

“Try these,” Beth said, holding out several tops for Maddy to try on before they left. Maddy merely shook her head and grabbed the hangers, realizing how much she had missed her straightforward cousin.


	8. Eight

Eight

Rip climbed out of the driver seat of the truck feeling twice his age with weariness as Lloyd also exited the vehicle and walked toward him. 

“It’s been an interesting day.”

“That’s one word for it,” Rip said, twisting a little to loosen up his sore muscles, “a fight, the boss almost loses Tate in the creek, and now dropping off Fred at the train station.”

“Don’t forget to let Maddy know about Kayce’s invitation to dinner,” Lloyd said as he turned to walk toward the bunkhouse. 

“Right,” Rip said, opening his phone to call her but pulling his phone back down quickly when the call was sent to voicemail, “I guess she’s still mad at me.”

“I think she went somewhere with Beth.”

“What do you mean?”

“They were climbing into Beth’s car as we pulled past the main house earlier,” Lloyd said, referencing their drive with Fred.

“Really?”

“They looked all dressed up,” Lloyd said, shrugging as he walked away. 

“Great,” Rip muttered as he dialed Beth’s phone waiting impatiently until she answered. 

“Hello.”

“Is Maddy with you?”

“Yes, she is.”

“I need to talk to her, please hand her the phone,” Rip said, desperately wanting this day to be over. 

“She does not want to talk to you,” Beth said after pausing to look at Maddy who shook her head no. 

“What are you doing, Beth,” Rip said, a knowing tone in her voice.

“We’re heading to the music festival. I could use a drink and Maddy needs to relax. Maybe even laid. She looks pretty hot,” Beth said, knowingly jabbing at Rip’s feelings for her cousin.

“What the…”

“Bye,”, Beth said sweetly before ending the call with a smile. 

Maddy sat looking at her cousin in suspicion, “Why are you baiting him?”

“Because I know I’m right,” Beth said with a firm nod. 

“And if you’re not?”

“Then he won’t show up tonight. The point is to get you out of your head and out of the house for some fun. The situation with Rip will take care of itself one way or the other.” 

Rip cursed in frustration as the call dropped. Staring between his house, where a warm bed waited, and the truck, Rip climbed back into the vehicle with another muttered curse and drove toward the fair grounds to find Maddy. While he could have merely texted her about Kayce’s invitation, Rip knew they needed to talk. She was not going to be happy to see him, but at this point, Rip could care less. 

Twenty minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot of the fair ground. Climbing out of his truck, Rip stalked into the large outbuilding on the property that was often used for indoor concerts and events. The man at the door merely gave him a nod and moved for him to go inside, his position as foreman at the Yellowstone well known. Rip scanned the crowd for several minutes before catching site of Maddy through the people and smoke sitting at the bar. She was being chatted up by some young kid in a cowboy hat. As he walked up, Rip noticed her laughing and smiling, something he missed about her which only proved to make him more frustrated. She did not see him approach or take the stool next to him until he interjected into her conversation. 

“Can I buy you a drink, Maddy, was it? I’m sure they can make you a martini or something,” the young man asked, completely misreading her. 

Maddy was about to answer when Rip’s voice sounded behind her, “The lady will have a bourbon on the rocks.”

The sound of his voice had Maddy spinning around and rolling her eyes, both in frustration at his presence but also in that he knew what she liked to drink.

“Make hers a double, and I’ll take a beer,” Rip said with a smirk toward the bartender who moved to make their drinks. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Kayce wanted me to pass along an invitation for dinner at his house tomorrow night,” Rip said with an innocent smile as he took a drink of his beer.

“That could have been put in a text message,” Maddy seethed before turning away from him toward the young man and continuing their conversation. Rip chuckled, which did nothing but make Maddy want to turn around a smack him, though she kept a smile plastered on her face. In truth, the guy in front of her was nothing special. Easy on the eyes but dumber than a box of rocks, but Maddy was out to have a good time, so he did not need to be anything more than that. After listening to him talk ad nauseum about the new tires on his truck in a slightly drunk tone, Maddy finally laid a hand on his arm.

“How about a dance?”

“Sure thing, honey,” the man said as he moved away so Maddy could stand up. With a sweet smile, she swung around toward Rip to stand up so he could have a good view of her outfit. Wearing a strapless top with a sweetheart neckline and bootcut jeans, Rip could not help but stare at how gorgeous Maddy looked with her hair curled and a little makeup on. Quickly shifting his eyes back to his drink, it was Maddy’s turn to chuckle having caught his appraising look. With scoff in his direction, she took the guys hand and let him lead her out onto the dancefloor. Rip sat with his back to them, silently tell himself not to turn around when Beth suddenly appeared at his side. 

“Are you just going to sit there all night?”

“That’s the plan.”

“So, you’d rather annoy her with your presence until she leaves than actually talk to her.”

“Beth,” Rip said, turning so he could see her and Maddy out on the dance floor, “she doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Yes, she does. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“Right now,” Rip said, taking a drink of his beer while standing up, “I’m going to break a guy’s hands.”

Beth followed Rip’s eyes to find that Maddy’s dance partner was getting really handsy and grinding on her. Maddy pushed some space between them, but the guys grabbed for her again with a grin. Beth followed Rip as he moved onto the dance floor and toward them.

“C’mon, baby. Let’s have some fun,” the guys said, grabbing another handful of Maddy’s backside, causing her to push him away from her again. He looked like was going to try for a third when Rip stepped between them and put his hand on the guy’s chest.

“I’m pretty sure she said no,” Rip said in almost a growl. 

“Rip, I got this,” Maddy said, attempting to pull him back after hearing the dangerous tone in his voice. She did not feel like talking to the sheriff’s department again about fighting, so Maddy was attempting to keep her cool.

“Look man, I just wanted to dance with her…”, the kid said with a smile.

“Rip, it’s fine,” Maddy said, stepping between them only to have the kid grab her by the forearm and continue speaking. 

“…and then maybe fuck her.”

Maddy closed her eyes momentarily, knowing what the reaction would be, and then opened them to witness exactly that. With surprising quickness, Rip moved her to the side and then clocked the kid on the side of his face. The force of the punch put the kid on the floor causing everyone around them to pause momentarily, curious as to what had happened but too drunk to care, before they all went back to what they were doing. 

Maddy stood looking between the guy on the floor with disgust and Rip with frustration as security walked through the crowd. 

“Alright, what happened…oh, it’s you, Rip.”

“He was getting a little too friendly,” Rip said turning to Maddy as the security guys said they would take care of it. He was about to say something when Maddy turned and walked toward the back door with smoke practically coming out of her ears. After a quick look at Beth, Rip followed after her. 

“Maddy,” Rip hollered as he followed her through the crowd, “Maddy, will you stop?”

It was not until they were both outside that he actually caught up with her and grabbed her arm to keep her from continuing to walk away from him. Maddy whirled around and pulled her arm out of his grasp.

“You are unbelievable! Where in the world do you get off pulling a stunt like that?”

“He was groping you,” Rip said, a little indignant that he was being yelled at. 

“I had it handled! You don’t get to decide that you don’t want to kiss me and then interfere when I find someone who does,” Maddy practically yelled before turning to walk away from him again. Rip reached out and pulled her back by the arm with enough force that she ran into his chest and their faces were almost touching. His other hand flew to her other forearm to steady her as he looked down into her stormy eyes. 

“I said it was a bad idea,” Rip said almost so quiet Maddy could not hear him, “I never said I didn’t want to.”

Frozen for a few seconds as she looked into his dark eyes, Maddy found her voice, “And do you still want to?”

“What I want is to talk about this like we should have done a week ago. Can we please go somewhere and actually talk like we used to?”

Maddy’s mind was a bit jumbled due to Rip’s close proximity, so she merely nodded. Rip leaned forward and kissed her forehead gently.

“I’m going to go inside, tell Beth we’re leaving, and grab your jacket.”

“Okay,” Maddy said with a smile as he backed away from her. Maddy crossed her arms over her chest against the cold and turned to look out over the sky. She enjoyed several moments of peaceful gazing when she suddenly heard high-pitched whistle and the boom of fireworks above her head. Instinctually bending over to cover her head, Maddy could feel her heartbeat begin to speed up almost instantly. She straightened back out only to hear several more fireworks being fired accompanied by a mass exodus of people from the back door of the building who were coming to see the firework show. Poorly attempting to keep herself together, Maddy could feel her chest tightening and a rushing noise in her ears as the explosions continued to fire and the crowd grew. Maddy thought she might pass out from the heavy breathing she could not seem to get under control when two arms wrapped themselves around her. She felt herself being pulled back against someone’s chest and was about to struggle when she heard Rip’s voice. 

Knowing how she reacted toward unwanted contact, Rip had clamped both of his arms down over hers and pulled her to him quickly, “Hey, it’s just me.”

Maddy nodded but was still on the verge of hyperventilating. She felt herself being moved away from the crowd as he continued to talk. 

“Deep breathes,” Rip said softly into her ear, finally moving them out of the beer garden and around the corner where he could lean against the building, keeping her close to him, “feel my breathing and follow it.”

Rip kept talking to her quietly as Maddy followed his breathing in an attempt to slow her own down, the warm of his face against the side of her head helping her relax. Though it took some time, Maddy was finally able to breath normally after several minutes even if she did jump with every new explosion. Once he was sure she was not going to pass out, Rip released his vice-like grip on her and turned her to look at him. 

“Better?”

“Yes,” Maddy said between slow, exaggerated breathes, “thank you.”

“Let’s get you home,” Rip said, noting that she was beginning to shake as he helped her into her jacket. Keeping an arm firmly around her, Rip walked her to his truck and secured her in the passenger seat before climbing in himself. 

“You said you wanted to talk,” Maddy said, teeth chattering a little. 

“When we get back to the ranch. Come here,” Rip said, unbuckling her seatbelt so he could pull her to the middle of the seat and put an arm around her. Maddy looked up at him uncertain to which he merely rolled his eyes and pulled her against his chest, “Just try and relax.”

“Okay,” Maddy said, laying her head against his shoulder as he drove them through Bozeman toward the ranch. She had finally shopped shaking when they pulled into the driveway but sat up in surprise when Rip pulled the truck over to his own house. 

“You said we could talk, and we won’t get any privacy in the main house.”

Maddy laughed in agreement and waited patiently for Rip to park the truck and help her out of the cab. With a hand on her back, Rip led her into his house and deposited her on the couch replacing her jacket with one of his blankets. Maddy watched in silence as he disappeared into the kitchen and came back several minutes later with a cup of tea.

“You made me tea,” Maddy asked, giving him a suspicious look accompanied with a giggle. 

“Yes, I keep tea in the house in case I get sick,” Rip said, waiting until she had taken a drink before sitting down next to her.

They looked at each other for several minutes of awkward silence before Maddy finally spoke up, “So, you wanted to talk?”

“Yes,” Rip said, clearing his throat, “but I’m not sure where to start.”

“How about starting with why you didn’t kiss me back?”

Rip sighed, wishing she were a little less direct for the first time in their years of knowing her, and turned toward her, “Okay, fine, I wanted to kiss you, but I have my reasons for saying it was a bad idea”

Maddy waited patiently while he paused to collect his thoughts. 

“Firstly, you had been drinking and it had been a rough night. It just did not seem right to return the kiss given everything. I did not want you to regret it in the morning, though it seems my alternative did that anyway.”

“True, but I understand your point. Is there a second?”

“I don’t feel like I’m ready to start anything…”

“…because you still love Beth,” Maddy said, matter-of-factly as if she already knew the answer. 

“That’s actually not the reason, if you’d stop jumping to conclusions,” Rip said in a teasing tone, earning a small smile out of Maddy before he continued. 

“I don’t still love Beth. In fact, what feelings I did have for her, lust more than anything, fades with each passing day.”

“Okay?”

“You’re just passing through here, Maddy, or at least that’s the general idea at the moment. Sure, you might come to visit after you leave, but you’re still going to leave.”

“That didn’t seem to bother you with Beth.”

“You deserve better,” Rip said in all seriousness, not wanting to relegate the woman in front of him to some occasional fling. 

“So do you,” Maddy whispered with tears in her eyes as she took his hand, “what now?”

“Let’s go back to the way thing were before the kiss,” Rip said, squeezing her hand, “we were getting to know each other again, and I really liked it when we weren’t at each others throats. After that, we’ll see.”

Maddy saw the smirk on his face, knowing he was not closing the door on them completely, rather protecting both of their hearts for the time being.

“Deal.”

Maddy put her cup down and pulled Rip into a hug, the smell of his aftershave helping her relax into his embrace. When she pulled back, he smiled at her as he wiped a tear off her cheek.

“I had better get up to the main house,” Maddy said, moving to stand only to have Rip take her hand.

“We could talk more while you finish your tea,” Rip said, something hopeful in his tone.

“Sure,” Maddy said after a beat. Picking her mug back up, she settled in next to him on the couch, their shoulders touching. They easily lapsed between easy conversation and sitting quietly watching the fire crackle in his fireplace until well after midnight when Rip felt her head drop onto his shoulder. He looked over to find her sound asleep with the mug still in her hand. Moving gently, Rip placed the cup on the coffee table and eased Maddy off his shoulder and onto the couch. Covering her up with the blanket, Rip gently moved the hair away from her face before moving quietly to turn off the lights and go to bed. It had been an exhausting week, but there finally seemed some light at the end of it for which Rip was thankful as he fell asleep.


	9. Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I was bogged down writing a steamy scene that will come later ;-)

Maddy felt herself being pulled out the deepest sleep she had experienced in a while by the smell of strong coffee in what felt like close proximity to her face. Slowly opening her eyes, she found Rip sitting on the coffee table, his knees touching the couch near her face, holding a cup of coffee near her face. Upon seeing her eyes open, Rip sat back slightly and smiled. 

“Good morning.”

“Morning,” Maddy said with a smile and a stretch, “what time is it?”

“Almost seven.” 

The realization of the time caused Maddy to jolt up into a sitting position, “shit, I’m late to feed the horses.”

“Calm down,” Rip said, handing her the cup of coffee with a chuckle, “I had Jimmy do it over an hour ago.”

Maddy took a sip of the coffee, “You did?”

“I told him you had had a rough night, and he was happy to help out. I swear the boys would walk over nails for you, considering I’ve never seen Jimmy get out of bed quite so fast.”

“You’ve probably been up for hours, Rip. Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Considering you did not move at all while I was getting around, it was probably the best sleep you’ve gotten in months, so I figured I’d leave you be. Bring your coffee into the kitchen,” Rip said, taking a moment to gently brush the hair away from her eyes before standing to walk in that direction. 

Maddy followed curiously only to find a plate of breakfast waiting for her at the kitchen table. She eyes it suspiciously as she sat down in the chair, he had pulled out for her.

“Did you make me breakfast,” Maddy said, looking at him intently.

“Gator brought it,” Rip said, taking a long sip from his own coffee. 

“You’re lying,” Maddy said, pointing her fork at him in amusement before taking a bite of the scrambled eggs before her. 

Rip attempted to keep the act going, but after a few seconds sighed at being caught out, “How did you know? You’ve been dead to the world since last night.”

“The house smells like breakfast, which would not happen unless it was made here. And…,” Maddy paused for dramatic effect, “you have a tell.”

“I do not,” Rip said with a scoff and another drink of coffee. 

“Yes, you do,” Maddy remarked as she continued to eat and let Rip stew until she was sure he was going to blow his top.

“Fine, what is it?”

“Oh, I’m not going to say,” Maddy said with a smirk, “wouldn’t want you to try and get rid of it. This way, I’ll always know when you’re lying.” 

Rip looked at her in mock frustration before smiling and continuing to drink his coffee while she ate, but the memory of something she had said the day before came to him and the smile dropped from his face.

“What’s wrong Eeyore?”

“You said yesterday that you knew what it meant for someone to be taken to the train station.”

“Yes, I’ve known for years. Lee and Kayce never hid anything from me, and contrary to sometimes popular opinion, I’m actually quite sharp,” Maddy said, not giving it another thought until the look on Rip’s face continued to sadden, “Rip, why does that bother you?”

“You know that I’ve killed people.”

“Yes,” Maddy said in an unsure tone, not understanding why it bothered him so much until the lightbulb went off in her head, “is that why you think us being together is such a bad idea?”

Rip shook his head at how unconcerned she was about the whole idea, “Maddy, I’ve killed someone…more than once.”

“So, have I,” Maddy said, trying to make him feel at ease with the whole situation but it did not work. 

“You killed in service to your country and to protect your teammates. I’ve…”

“…killed to protect this family, this ranch,” Maddy said, laying a hand on his to make sure she had his attention, “it’s no different than what Lee or Kayce have done. It’s no different than what I would do if it came down to it. We’ve all killed to protect family, in one way or the other. I love Lee and Kayce almost more than anyone, and I do not think less of them for it, so why would I think less of you.” 

After she finished, Maddy stood and walked to the sink. He watched in silence as she washed her breakfast dishes, really thinking about what she had said and the weight that felt like it had been lifted off his shoulders.

“I had better go up to the house and change,” Maddy said, turning toward him with a smile. 

“Don’t forget to let Kayce know about dinner tonight,” Rip reminded her as she gathered up her thing and preceded him out of the front door. After saying a quick goodbye, Rip watched as Maddy walked quickly to the main house. Once she was inside, he made his way down to the barns to make sure the days’ work was being done. 

Maddy was in the back door and thought she was going to make it to her room without question when Jamie’s voice rang out of the dining room as she walked past. 

“I see the walk of shame still looks the same,” her cousin said with a laugh. 

Maddy stopped and walked into the room with eyes narrowed toward where her cousin sat with John and Beth, “One, I’m not ashamed of anything. And two, at least I get to do this walk. You might as well get castrated with all the action you get.”

Beth made a spurting sound as she attempted to keep her orange juice inside her mouth, Jamie looked sufficiently embarrassed, and John merely shook his head at her comments.

“Go change, Maddy, and come back,” John said, waiting for her to walk away before turning to his son, “you really need to stop grabbing the bull by the horns.”

Jamie returned to his plate without another word while Beth tried to stifle the laughter that was threatening to escape. They ate in silence until Maddy walked back into the dining room and sat next to her uncle with a smile. 

“So, how was your night,” John tried to ask in a nonchalant manner.

Maddy chuckled as she poured herself a cup of coffee, “Are you questioning my personal choices, Uncle John?”

“Nope, you’re a grown woman. You can do as you like.”

“Good,” Maddy said before drinking her coffee silently, letting her uncle stew for a few minutes before continuing, “I slept on Rip’s couch last night and that’s all.”

“Yeah right,” Jamie said with a snicker.

“You know what…”, Maddy started to say before her uncle intervened. 

“Jamie, for a smart guy, you’re really stupid. Leave her alone,” John said in a tone that brooked no argument. 

Breakfast continued without incident with John and Maddy talking about her rehab schedule as Jamie and Beth finished up and went about their days. Maddy was about to stand when John put a hand on hers. 

“Is everything okay,” he asked, voice laced with concern. 

“I had a panic attack last night because of the fireworks, so Rip brought me back to his place to calm down and I fell asleep there. That’s all.”

John was about to respond when Jamie and Monica’s voice could be heard from the front of the house. After a quick glance at each other, Maddy and John both stood up and moved quickly to the living room where Monica stood with a panicked look on her face. 

“They arrested Kayce last night,” Monica said without hesitation in John’s direction, “on our drive back from taking Tate to get stitches.”

Maddy walked up to Monica wrapped her arms around her with Monica returning the hug fiercely. It was the first time seeing each other since Maddy had come back, and both women wished it was under better circumstances. 

“Hey sweetie. Where’s Tate?”

“Out on the front porch,” Monica said against her shoulder. 

Maddy stepped away and turned to look at her uncle in question.

“Maddy, why don’t you grab Tate and take them both to the kitchen for something to eat. Jamie and I need to make some phone calls.”

“Yep,” Maddy said, heading to the door to call Tate inside.

“Please find him, John,” Monica said with a tremble in her voice.

“I’ll bring him back, Monica.,” John said before turning away to walk to his office with Jamie following behind him already on his phone. Both men made various phone calls before John turned to Jamie and told him to fly to the Reservation and not come back without his youngest son. 

Maddy sat with Monica and Tate while they ate breakfast, keeping the conversation casual to keep Tate ignorant to the gravity of the situation. 

“So how is it, being back here,” Monica asked as she picked at her food. 

“It’s okay, I guess. Not exactly what I had in five-year plan, but it could be worse.”

“There are worse places to recuperate,” Monica said sternly, though there was a twinkle in her eyes, “I hear that you and Rip are getting close?”

Maddy’s head hung down and shook from side to side before looking back up to see Monica trying not to smile. 

“Yes, we’re getting along better than before, but I wouldn’t call us close.”

“Sure,” Monica said but dropping the subject as John came into the room. 

“Monica, I need to talk to you. Maddy, do you think you could keep Tate busy for a while?”

“I was going to run into town and pick-up medical supplies that way next time, I can put his stitches in,” Maddy said with a wink in the boy’s direction that earned her a smile. When he had needed stitches after his fall in the creek, there had been nothing available to do it. “I can take him with me, if that’s okay?”

“Of course,” Monica said, trusting that Tate would be safe with Maddy.

“Alright, kiddo,” Maddy said, coming out of her chair at the same time as Tate and heading for the back door. 

“Do you have the credit card,” John yelled in her direction.

“Yep,” Maddy said as she pulled on her coat.

“Aunt Maddy, can we get ice cream?”

“It’s a little early for that buddy,” Maddy said as they walked out the door, “but we’ll see.”

John shook his head with a laugh at their conversation as he sat back down at the table with Monica.

“She’s always been really good with Tate,” Monica said with a smile.

“I’m glad you all kept in touch over the years. I think it helps Kayce having her here,” John said before getting down to business. There were some serious thing he needed to discuss with Monica so he had a better idea of what he was dealing with. Monica saw the seriousness flicker across his face and settled in for a difficult but honest conversation with her father-in-law. 

~~~~~~~  
Rip arrived back at the ranch from the prison to find Maddy’s Jeep pulled up near the barn. As he climbed out, he saw Maddy come out of the barn with Tate in tow to grab things out of the open hatch at the back of her vehicle. She stopped and smiled at him when she saw him, but her look immediately became guarded when Walker came to stand next to him. 

“Tate, come here,” Maddy said, pulling the young boy to her protectively, “why don’t you go to the main house and see what your mom’s doing?”

“I thought you needed my help,” the little boy asked in confusion. 

“And you have, but I need you to go check and see if your dad is here?”

“Okay,” Tate said, taking off like a shot past both men, barely even saying hello to Rip in his excitement. 

Maddy watched him until he was well past the bunk house before turning to the men approaching her. 

“Go find yourself an empty bunk, Walker.”

“Okay,” the new man said, giving Maddy a once over before turning toward the bunk house himself.

Maddy watched with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed as he looked her over and walked away. 

“Who’s that?”

“New hire. What’s wrong?”

“There’s something about him,” Maddy began but became silent as she watched the man walk into the bunk house, “it’s probably nothing.”

“I trust your instincts, Maddy, I’ll keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you,” Maddy said with a smile as she walked to the back of the truck.

“What’s all this,” Rip asked, coming next to her to see the supplies in her cargo area. 

“The medical supplies that Uncle John asked me to buy.”

Rip nodded and picked up some of them to take them inside.

“Don’t you have things to do?”

“Later tonight, yes. Right now, I have the time to help you,” Rip said with a smile as he walked into the stable to the stall that John was setting up as a small clinic. There was already an exam table set up, so Rip set the boxes on the table and turned as Maddy walked in with the last load. 

“You’re looking more rested,” Rip said as she set down the boxes.

“A good nights’ sleep will do that.”

“I’ll be back late, but if you have trouble sleeping, just send me a text,” Rip said, reaching out to touch Maddy’s cheek with his finger before leaving with a laugh. 

“Okay,” Maddy said, shaking her head in wonder at how different he was around her. In front of everyone else, Rip was a brutal force to be reckoned with. But with Maddy, he let his guard down and was surprisingly gentle. It made her smile that he felt able to do that with her as she began organizing her new clinic.


	10. Ten

Rip did not return from the timber until well after ten in the evening after putting a brand on Walker at his boss’s behest. As he pulled into the driveway, the ranch foreman saw the lights in the main house were still on. Pulling up in front of his own house, Rip grabbed his cell phone and texted Maddy.

“Still awake?”

“Of course. I’m watching a movie with Tate, though he fell asleep a while ago. Feel free to come up.”

“I’ll be up in a second,” Rip texted before walking into his house to grab a shower. He smelled like burn flesh and smoke, and though Maddy said she knew what went on at the ranch, Rip did not want to risk questions. 

~~~~~~~  
Maddy dropped her phone with a smile and turned to look at the small child lying on the couch next to her. Kasey had arrived back at the ranch only to have John offer to watch Tate for the evening while they spent time in the trapping cabin down by the creek. After dinner, John and Tate had been upstairs while Maddy had been reading a book in her room when Beth came home, more than slightly drunk. The screaming coming from her room had Maddy coming up the stairs, only to be sent back down by her uncle with a shake of his head. Although concerned, Maddy had settled back in with her book only to have Tate walk into her room thirty minutes later.

“Hey buddy, what’s up?”

“I can’t fall asleep. Can we watch a movie,” the little boy said, rubbing his eyes with a smile. 

“Sure,” Maddy said, leading the child out into the living room. After settling on couch with Tate tucked in next to her, Maddy flipped through the channels before landing on a Disney movie. They watched in silence for several minutes before Maddy happened to look over and find Tate asleep with his head resting on her leg. She was about to wake him up to send him upstairs when her phone dinged with Rip’s text. Maddy was still sitting on the couch with Tate twenty minutes later when Rip walked in wearing jeans and a t-shirt, his hair still wet from his shower. 

“You didn’t need to shower, Rip,” Maddy said with a smile. 

“I really did,” Rip said, coming to stand across the coffee table from them, “tapped out, huh?”

“Yeah, he only lasted twenty minutes. Let me get him into bed…”, Maddy started to say as she stood but came to a halt in surprise as Rip stepped forward and gathered the little boy up. 

Waiting expectantly with a smile, Rip merely looked at Maddy like it was the most normal thing in the world until Maddy merely turned and led the way upstairs. She did not say a word as they both worked to get Tate into his bed and settle for the night, but Maddy could not believe how good he was with the small boy. In fact, she could not easily align how different he was with her in comparison to how he was as foreman of the ranch. It was a testament to how complex the man next to her actually was, a complexity she did not always give him credit for. Neither of them spoke until they were back downstairs, sitting on the couch as Maddy found something besides Disney to watch. Maddy had just set the remote down when she saw a burn mark on his hand. 

“Why didn’t you come see me about that,” Maddy asked, taking his hand gently to get a better look at the wound. 

“Because it’s not that big of a deal,” Rip said with a shake of his head, “you won’t see me in your infirmary unless I can’t take care of it myself.”

“How did you burn yourself?”

“Doing something for your uncle,” Rip replied vaguely, his tone saying that he did not want to discuss it further. 

Maddy set his hand back down and turned back to the television, understanding his reluctance but not liking being kept in the dark. Rip could sense a change in her and sighed.

“Why don’t you tell me something about your time in the army? What places did you see,” Rip said as the threw his arm up behind her head, hoping the topic could cheer her up and distract her.

Maddy threw him a look showing that she knew exactly what he was doing but began to answer his question. The conversation that followed flowed easily for over an hour until a pause caused Rip to look to his left only to find Maddy’s head laying on his shoulder and her fast asleep. He started to move only to have Maddy burrow onto his chest and lay her arm across his stomach. Sighing because he saw no help for it, Rip propped his feet up on the coffee table and was getting comfortable when movement to his right caught his eye. He looked up to find John standing over him with a surprised expression on his face. 

“Oh, sorry, sir. I’ll head out…”, Rip said, starting to move out from under Maddy only to have John stop him with a soft, but firm “no”. Rip looked up at his boss in surprise. 

“If this is what it takes for her to get some sleep, I expect to see you on this couch every night,” John said with a nod, letting his foreman know that he was okay with him being in the main house in such an informal fashion. 

Not wanting to risk waking his niece, John laid a reassuring hand on Rip’s shoulder before walking back upstairs to get some sleep himself. Rip waited until he was gone to grab a nearby blanket and lay it gently over both of them. Wrapping his left arm around Maddy, the exhausted man tilted his head back and fell asleep almost instantly. Neither of them even stirred when Beth walked through, heading for a snack in the kitchen, and stopped to snap a picture of them on her cell phone. They both looked so at ease that she could not resist capturing it, thinking maybe she would make it a gift someday. 

~~~~~~~  
Rip drifted awake slowly, his eyes fluttering open to find that both he and Maddy had shifted at some point before the sun came up to where it was now shinning in on them. He looked down to find that he was now lying stretched out on his back with Maddy tucked between him and the back of the couch. Her head was lying on his chest with his arm securely around her as she slept halfway on top of him. The blanket was still covering both of them though he must have taken his boots off at some point as he could see his sock-covered foot poking out of the blanket. Moving gently to bring his free arm up to look at his watch, Rip discovered that it was just now six in the morning. While he needed to get up and start the day, Rip found himself wanting to simply remain where he was with Maddy sleeping comfortably in his arms. Though he would probably never admit it aloud, the rough cowhand was beginning to develop feelings for the woman next to him that went far beyond friendship. Rip had just reminded himself that she would be leaving soon when he heard the sound of small running feet come barreling down the stairs in their direction. 

Rip watched in amusement as Tate came running around the couch, “Aunt Maddy?”

“Hmm,” Maddy said sleepily at the sound of her voice being called.

“Why are you sleeping with Rip?”

“What,” Maddy asked, her mind still clouded with sleep as she opened her eyes and found herself practically sleeping on top of the man.

Before she could formulate a response, John’s voice rang through the house calling Tate to the dining room for breakfast. The little boy took off like a shot, leaving Rip to chuckle as he watched Maddy come fully awake and realize where she was. 

“Good morning,” his deep voice rumbled from his chest as Maddy took in her surroundings. 

“Morning,” she said as she attempted to sit up though her position made it quite difficult. 

Rip shifted so they could both sit up, but he could see she was a little embarrassed by their sleeping arrangements. 

“Thanks for staying,” Maddy said though she hesitated to look up at him for a second. 

“If this is what you need to actually get some sleep, I’m more than happy to help out,” Rip said, standing with a stretch of his arms. 

Maddy was about to reply that it was not necessary when she felt him lean down and plant a kiss on top of her head, “See you later.” 

With a wink in her direction, Rip left the room to grab his boots and head back to his house to get ready for the day. Maddy merely sat there for a few minutes, a little shocked at how the night had played out. There was no point in denying that sleeping next to Rip or at least in close proximity to him helped her relax, but it was also a little alarming. What would happen when she left if the Army took her back? She needed to not get used to the idea of needing him to grab decent sleep. 

Maddy was still going over this idea in her head when Beth came walking in with a smile on her face, “Looks like you slept well.”

“Shut up,” Maddy muttered with a roll of her eyes as she stood and walked to her room to change her clothes. She could still hear her cousin’s laughter after closing the door and her antics continued through breakfast. Beth barely kept her mirth contained until Kayce and Monica walked in and Tate greeted his parents. 

“Mommy, Aunt Maddy slept with Rip on the couch last night!”

That one innocent statement sent Beth into almost hysterical laughter as Maddy placed her hand over her face in embarrassment. Without even looking, she could tell John and Kayce were trying not to join in Beth’s amusement and were failing miserably while Monica admonished Tate about minding his own business. The rest of breakfast was both amusing and awkward, leaving Maddy almost ready to run out of the room after she finished eating. 

~~~~~~  
Maddy was working on her new infirmary when Monica walked in to find her. 

“Have a minute?”

“Sure,” Maddy said with a smile, closing the cabinet that she had been organizing and turning toward the woman. 

“I need your honest opinion, Madds.”

“Absolutely. What’s up?”

“John brought the dean of the History Department from the university here yesterday while you were in town. He offered me a job.”

“That’s great,” Maddy said, genuinely excited for her cousin’s opportunity. 

“I turned it down,” Monica said with a grimace in Maddy’s direction. 

“Okay,” Maddy asked in an unsure tone, not quite sure where this was going.

“I told the truth when I said that me leaving the school on the reservation would leave the school with one less teacher. It’s not like there is a large employee pool for the teaching positions at my school. It could be a serious detriment to my students.”

“You haven’t said anything that’s not true, but I’m sending a but…”

“…but, I think I turned down the job more out of spite because John is the one who set it up. Do you know what John said to Kayce when he found out I was pregnant?”

“Unfortunately, yes, I do.”

“Well, John told me that for the first time this morning and then tried to set up this job opportunity for me and hire Kayce as a trainer.”

Monica shrugged like she did not know what else to say, leaving Maddy to contemplate the whole situation before answering. 

“Look, I know Uncle John is an asshole the majority of the time. He tries to run all of our lives, and you’ve done a great job of not letting him while still letting him get to know Tate.”

“But?”

“Isn’t part of your job as a parent to make your child’s life better than your own. You may not trust John, but you want Tate to know his roots here on the ranch. John may be trying to control things by getting you this opportunity, but it’s an opportunity to provide a better life for your son. Your skills as a teacher will be the things that keep that job, not Uncle John’s influence.”

“You make a good point.”

“Just something to think about,” Maddy said, approaching the woman for a hug. 

“It’s so nice having you here,” Monica said with a chuckle as she accepted the hug. Monica stayed in the infirmary for several more minutes talking with Maddy until it was time to take Tate to school. Maddy walked her back up to the main house and waved them off as they pulled away. After they were out of sight, Maddy made her way back down to her Jeep to head into town. As she was opening the door, Maddy heard a man’s voice behind her. 

“So, you the ranch doctor?”

Maddy turned to find Walker standing behind her with a smile on his face that still made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. 

“Yes. Did you need something?”

“No, I just wanted to say hello. I’m Walker.”

“Okay, Walker. I’m Maddy,” Maddy said shortly with a neutral expression on her face that did not invite further discussion. 

Walker opened his mouth to speak when Rip rode up on his horse and came to a stop next to him, “Go get yourself on a horse. You’re going with Ryan to check fences.”

“Okay,” Walker said before tipping his hat to Maddy and walking toward the stable. 

“You okay,” Rip asked as Maddy turned to watch the new hand walk away. 

“Yeah, though I still don’t like him,” Maddy said, continuing to watch the man before turning back toward Rip. There was just something about him that she did not like, but Maddy could not put her finger on it. 

“Heading into town?”

“I have physical therapy in an hour and a recheck with my neurologist after that.”

“Sounds like fun,” Rip said with a chuckle.

“Hoping for good news. I’ll see you later,” Maddy said, putting on her sunglasses and climbing into the jeep. 

“I’ll be out in the pastures all day, so call my phone if you need anything.”

Maddy nodded at the man with a smile, which was returned quickly as he walked his horse away. She started her Jeep and drove into town for her appointments, which did result in good news. Her knee was healed for the most part and she was cleared for normal activity. With this in mind, Maddy came straight back to the ranch after her appointments, changed into hiking clothes, and took off toward the river at an easy pace. 

~~~~~~~  
Rip rode back into the barnyard after his altercation with Kayce to find Jimmy feeding the livestock in the corral. 

“Jimmy, what the hell are you doing? Where’s Maddy?”

“I don’t know, but when I got back here a few minutes ago, Jake said that he hadn’t seen her feed the horses. Figured maybe something happened and she got caught in town, so I thought I’d help out.”

“Her Jeep is parked next to the house,” Rip said, standing up in the saddle in order to see the vehicle that is parked up the hill. Telling Jimmy to keep working, Rip pulled out his phone to call Maddy. The calls kept going straight to voicemail as well as any call to Beth or John. After leaving a voicemail laced with expletives, the man was just starting to panic when his phone lit up with Kayce’s name. 

“I’m in the middle…”, Rip started to grit out in an angry voice when Kayce’s first sentence stopped him cold. He had found Maddy walking back to the ranch after falling in the river and hypothermia was starting to set in.


	11. Eleven

Rip hurriedly climbed down from his horse, hanging on to the reigns as he continued to talk to Kayce on the phone. 

“What do you mean she fell in the river?”

“I’ll explain it later. What house are you closest to?”

“Bring her to mine. No one is up at the main house.”

“I’ll be there in less than five.”

Rip hung up the phone just as Jake rode up on one of the quads, so he started barking orders. 

“Maddy fell in the river and may have hypothermia. Jake, ride up to my house and start the fireplace in my living room,” Rip barked before the man took off like a shot.

“Jimmy, put my horse away and then bring all the spare blankets from the bunkhouse up to my house,” Rip groused as he handed the reigns over to the younger man. 

“Is Maddy…”

“Jimmy, stop asking fucking questions and do as you’re told.”

The foreman threw a glare at Jimmy’s decision before walking as fast as possible up to his house. He had just made it there when Kayce’s truck came barreling down the drive, coming to a screeching halt in front of Rip. The foreman walked to the passenger side without a word and opened the door to reveal Maddy sitting curled up to Kayce’s side, shivering violently. 

“Christ!”

“He-ee-eey, R-i-p,” Maddy said, her teeth chattering as she looked toward him trying to smile. 

Rip pulled Maddy to him without a word and gathered her up into his arms, placing a soft kiss to the side of her head as he turned toward the house. Kayce shut the door and followed behind him without a word. Rip wasted no time getting Maddy inside the house, walking straight to the fireplace, and sitting her down on the coffee table. 

“Th---ee be-st w---a----y…” Maddy attempted to bite out but was having trouble talking.

“The best way to treat hyperthermia is skin-to-skin contact,” Rip finished her sentence, a look sending Jake out of his house before he turned to Kayce. 

“She’s going to need dry clothes, and someone should probably get the doctor out here while I warm her up,” Rip remarked as he knelt down to take Maddy’s shoes off. 

“I’ll handle that,” Kayce said, turning away quickly to walk up to the main house while simultaneously attempting to call his father again. 

Rip silently worked on removing every layer of clothing Maddy was wearing even as the shaking became more violent. The situation scared him, there was no denying that, but he could not let her see that at the moment. Jimmy came running into the house by the time Rip got her down to her pants and t-shirt, arms loaded with extra blankets. 

“Just put them there and go get your supper,” Rip said as he pulled Maddy’s t-shirt over her head, “and keep your eyes down.”

Jimmy looked at the floor while Rip continued by taking Maddy’s pants off, leaving the poor woman sitting on his coffee table in nothing but her bra and underwear. Rip looked at her in apology for the lack of privacy she was experiencing. 

“I was the only woman in an all-male unit,” Maddy managed to get out shakily, “you’re not the first man to see me naked.”

“Still, this is not how I envisioned this moment,” Rip said, turning to lay blankets and pillows down on the floor in front of the fireplace. 

“I’m done.”

Rip turned and wrapped a blanket around Maddy before helping her move to lay down on the blankets in front of the fire. Maddy lay on her side, eyes watching the flame, as her body continued to shiver while Rip stripped down to his boxer briefs behind her. After a few seconds, he joined her under the blanket, pulled Maddy’s back to his chest, and wrapped his arms around her. 

“God, you’re like ice,” Rip said, her violent shivering shaking his body as well. 

“Sorry about this then,” Maddy said as she laid her freezing feet on his legs causing him to yelp a little.

“How are your fingers and toes?”

“Not frostbitten yet,” Maddy chattered out as she tucked her fingers under her arms, “I’m so tired.”

“No sleeping,” Rip said, keeping his eyes on her face to make sure she stayed awake. 

Rip and Maddy laid in front of the fire with him making just enough conversation to keep her eyes open as Rip’s body increased her core temperature enough to make the violent shaking finally subside. He absently rubbed his hands up and down her arms gently.

“You’re not making staying awake any easier,” Maddy said in a sleepy voice.

“Just keep talking to me.”

“So, you’ve thought about me naked,” Maddy asked quietly as she attempted to burrow herself closer to Rip, the warmth of his body feeling heavenly. 

“Leave it to you to be on the verge of hypothermia and that is the comment that sticks,” Rip said with a chuckle.

“It seemed like a pretty important comment,” Maddy said, attempting to turn and look at him only to have Rip’s arms clamp down on her.

“Just lay still,” Rip said in mock frustration as he snuggled closer to her, resting his cheek on the side of her head. 

Before she could comment that he had not answered her question, Kayce came walking back in with her duffle bag in hand and a thermometer. He paused for a second upon seeing Maddy and Rip curled up on the floor but continued into the room after only a moment. 

“I brought you some dry clothes and stuff from your bathroom,” Kayce said as he set the bag down on the sofa. 

“Thank you,” Maddy said with a weak smile. 

“Finally got ahold of Dad, and he’s coming with the doctor. Let me check your temperature,” Kayce said as he knelt down beside his cousin and placed the thermometer in her ear. 

After a few seconds, it beeped. 

“Well?”

“Ninety-five point nine.”

“That’s better than I expected,” Maddy said quietly, continuing to shiver though it was markedly better than when they had gotten in the house. Her teeth were no longer chattering, and she was feeling more alert. 

“So, does someone want to tell me how this happened?”

“I was cleared for hiking today at my physical therapy appointment, so I went for a hike. I was on my way back when I came across a huge bear,” Maddy said, her voice finally not shaking as she spoke. 

“It’s probably the same bear I saw,” Kayce said, pulling a chair up to sit next to their feet. 

“Well, I couldn’t get back to the house without going around the bear and anytime I tried, he followed me. I had no choice but to try to go through the river and then I was washed downstream.”

“After our,” Kayce started to say but quickly changed his words when Rip threw a scowl in his direction, “talk, I was driving home from here when I found her walking down the road still several miles out.”

Rip nodded now that he had the full picture. Kayce’s phone beeped and he looked down with a sigh.

“Dad says the doctor will be here in five minutes, and he’s ten minutes behind that. Something about a meeting with the governor.”

“More like shacking up with the governor,” Maddy said with a chuckle as she dug her arm out from under the blankets and Rip, “give me the thermometer.”

Kayce handed it to her and she took her temperature, “Ninety-six, five. I would really prefer to not be naked when Uncle John arrives, so let’s get me in those warm clothes.”

Both men stuttered slightly, leaving Maddy to mutter, “oh for god’s sake”, before sitting up slowly with the blanket held to her front. Kayce immediately stood and walked out to the front porch to give them some privacy. 

“Go ahead and get dressed Rip, and then I’ll need your help,” Maddy said with a smirk in his direction at the sight of him standing there in his boxer briefs. 

She merely chuckled as he rushed to put his clothes back on, understanding that he really did not want his boss walking in while he stood practically naked with his niece. Maddy could not remember a time when he looked quite so flustered. Once Rip was dressed, he helped Maddy into a sitting position back on the coffee table and brought over her duffle bag. Rip did his best to keep his eyes forward and up as he provided a steadying hand while she put on a pair of fleece-lined tights and a t-shirt over a dry pair of underwear and a sports bra. Rip could not help but notice that she was still shaking, so once she was dressed, Rip wrapped a fresh blanket around her and helped her move to his sofa. 

“Are there any socks in there,” Maddy asked as she pulled the blanket closer to her body.

“Yep,” Rip said, digging into the bag and pulled out a pair of fleece socks with rubber grips on the bottom. 

“I can’t seem to stop shivering,” Maddy said, moving to put them on herself but Rip stopped her by sitting on the coffee table in front of her. 

“Give me your feet and stop being so stubborn,” Rip said, waiting patiently as she stuck her feet out from the blanket so he could put on her socks. 

“Pot-kettle,” Maddy said with a laugh as she tucked her feet back under her. 

Rip leaned forward and took Maddy’s face in his hands, leaning in to gently kiss her on the lips before pulling back to see Maddy’s shocked expression. 

“You’re right,” Rip said, smiling as her surprised look morphed into a smirk. 

“I thought you said that was a bad idea,” Maddy said, taking his hands in hers. 

“It is, but you scared the shit out of me today,” Rip said, placing a kiss on her forehead as he stood up. The sound of approaching footsteps made Maddy turn toward the door to see the doctor walk in.

“Ms. Johnson, my name is Dr. Stafford,” the tall man with grey hair said with a kind smile. Rip moved out of the way so the man could sit down on the couch next to her, “I hear from your uncle that you’re quite the accomplished medic, so why don’t you explain what’s going on.”

Maddy looked at Kayce, who nodded in reassurance, before telling the doctor what had happened as he examined her. Dr. Stafford was still examining her fingers and toes for frostbite when John came striding in, a worried expression on his face. 

“She’s going to be fine, John,” the doctor said as he continued his work. John nodded with a kind smile in Maddy’s direction before looking between his son and his foreman, the latter of which had not moved from standing behind the sofa to be close to Maddy. 

“What the hell happened?”

“Bear,” Maddy said shortly.

“What?”  
“I was cornered by a bear and the only way I could get back to the house was to go through the river, but then I was washed downstream. I was walking home when Kayce drove by and picked me up.”

“Well, I’m done,” Dr. Stafford said as he packed up his bag, “your temperature is still rising and your extremities look okay.”

“Let’s get her moved up to the main house,” John said with a nod. 

“Actually, I don’t want Maddy going back out into the cold for at least two days. Her temperature needs to remain stable.”

“She can stay here,” Rip said immediately with a smile in Maddy’s direction and a nod toward everyone else. 

“I’ll take the bag up and bring down some more of her stuff then,” Kayce said, grabbing the duffle.

“Bring a few of my books, will you?”

“Sure,” Kayce said before leaving the house. 

“Well, since that’s all taken care of,” John said with a chuckle, “is there anything we need to be worried about?”

“She may catch present flu-like symptoms from the shock to her body.”

“Like what,” Maddy asked. 

“Fever, chills, etc. I want you to rest until your body adjusts, so no work for at least a week.”

“What about physical therapy?”

“That’s fine, but nothing else. Your body has been through quite a shock.”

“Yes, sir,” Maddy said, burrowing back into her blankets.

“I’ll go start the fireplace in the bedroom, and I’ll sleep on the couch,” Rip said before leaving the room. 

Dr. Stafford said goodbye and walked out to his car, leaving John and Maddy in the living room. He came around and sat next to her on the couch. 

“How did your appointment go?”

“Only two more weeks or so of rehab and my knee should be fine. Today’s MRI shows that I’m all healed.”

“And your back?”

“All my tests came back normal. They put everything together and send their recommendation to the Army. All in all, it’s been a good day,” Maddy said wryly.

“Except for the part where you fell in the river,” Rip said with a sarcastic laugh as he came back into the room, “Sir, can you sit with her while I go make sure the chores are done for the night?”

“Sure. Tomorrow, though, take the day and keep an eye on her.”

“Yes, sir.”

Maddy and John sat and talked about several topics, John at one point getting up and bringing her a cup of tea before Rip came back. When Rip came back to the house an hour later, Maddy had dozed off on the couch and John was merely staring at the fire. 

“I’m going to have Gator bring some supper down for you both,” John said, putting his coat on as he stood up, “take care of her.”

“Always, sir.”

John clapped the man on the shoulder with a smile before leaving the house.


	12. Twelve

Maddy’s eyes fluttered open as she heard raised voices. She looked around to find the living room empty, Gator working in Rip’s kitchen, and John, Jamie, Beth, and Rip standing outside yelling. 

“Gator?”

“Yes,” the man said looking up at her with a smile as Maddy slowly made her way off of the couch and walked toward him. 

“What’s going on out there,” Maddy said as she sat down at the bar with the blanket still around here. 

“I have no idea, Miss Katie, it’s beyond my pay grade as you would say. How about some soup,” Gator said, pointing to the pot of what looked like chicken noodle that was simmering on the stove. 

“That would be great,” Maddy said with a smile as she turned to look out the window at her bickering family. 

Rip stood off to one side until he looked inside and saw the couch empty, causing him to move toward the door and come inside quickly. Rip visibly relaxed upon seeing Maddy sitting at the counter watching him as the cook set a bowl of soup in front of her. 

“Should you be up and moving?”

“I walked less than ten feet, Rip, I think I’m okay,” Maddy said with a laugh before she began eating. 

Gator set a bowl down at the place next to where Maddy was sitting for Rip, nodding to the foreman as he sat down next to her and began eating his own meal. 

“How are you feeling,” Rip asked between bites. 

“Like I just finished my first week of basic training all over again,” Maddy said with a chuckle as she continued to eat, “what’s going on out there?”

“Your uncle is less than thrilled that his children were completely unreachable.”

“They have lives, Rip.”

“I don’t think John believes in that.”

“Are you on call 24/7 for him,” Maddy asked, genuinely curious about the dynamic between Rip and her uncle. 

“I supposed that’s one way to look at it. John knowing that he can depend on me, no matter what, is my way of repaying all that he’s done for me.”

“Loyal to a fault, it seems.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Rip said, wondering why his loyalty to her uncle was such a sore spot for her. 

“It depends on if the person you’re loyal to is worth that much effort,” Maddy remarked before going back to her soup. 

“I don’t know why it bothers you so much considering you’re going to be leaving soon,” Rip said pointedly, though he only received a sideways glance from the woman next to him. 

They settled into silence until Gator left and the noise quieted outside before Rip put his spoon down and turned to her. 

“Are you going to tell me why the fact that I’m loyal to your uncle bothers you? I thought your relationship was getting better.”

“It is getting better, Rip, but a leopard doesn’t change its spots overnight.”

“Are you going to tell me why it bothers you?”

“Do you really want to spend the next few days hashing this out,” Maddy asked, clearly wanting to avoid the issue. 

Rip narrowed his eyes at her before moving to a different topic, “Okay. What all did the doctors say?”

“My knee is completely healed, and I only have two more days of physical therapy left before they are cutting me loose. It’s the same with my back, so the doctors will be compiling their reports to send to the Army for their decision. I’ve been running on a treadmill now for a month, but I need to start running outside after I get over this shit,” Maddy said, motioning to the blankets. 

“That’s good news,” Rip said as he stood and began cleaning up the dishes. 

“I just have to wait for the Army to make their decision, and then I can make mine,” Maddy said as she watched him. 

Rip was about to ask what she meant when he turned around and noticed that she was beginning to shiver again. Instead of asking the question on his mind, Rip walked toward her, “We need to get you into bed. Do you want to shower first?”

“A shower sounds nice,” Maddy said, thankful that Rip was not going to question her about a comment she should have kept to herself. 

Rip stood by to assist her as she stood and walked slowly up the stairs to where his bedroom and bathroom were located in the loft. He carried her duffle bag into the bathroom and turned on the hot water while Maddy looked around the room. A king-size bed with a metal headboard stood at one end of the room with a bedside stand on either side. A large fireplace sat opposite the bed while a door that stood next to the bathroom led to what Maddy assumed was a closet. Maddy’s visual tour was interrupted when Rip walked back into the room.

“The water is running, so take all the time you need. Once you’re done in the shower, go ahead and get in bed. I’ll be back up in a little while.”

“Thank you,” Maddy said with a genuine smile before going into the bathroom and closing the door. 

Maddy leaned against it with a sigh, silently berating herself for not only letting it slip that she had a decision of her own to make but also for picking a fight with a man who was bending over backward to take care of her. While Rip may not want a relationship, he was always proving that he cared about her, and all Maddy could do was go after the relationship between him and her uncle without giving him an explanation as to why it bothered her. After several seconds of giving herself a mental pep-talk to be fair to Rip, Maddy stripped out of her clothes and stepping under the hot water. 

Rip busied himself with cleaning up the kitchen before settling himself in his chair with a newspaper until he heard the water turn off upstairs thirty minutes later. Several minutes later, he turned when he heard Maddy coming down the stairs behind him. 

“I thought you were getting in bed?”

“I wanted to have the thermometer and some Tylenol upstairs with me in case I start running a fever,” Maddy said as she walked past him toward the kitchen. 

Rip went back to his reading but paused when he looked up to find her dressed in a tank top and sleep shorts that barely covered her backside, “That’s what you’re sleeping in?”

Maddy turned around and walked back toward him with a smirk, pausing just behind his shoulder, “Normally I don’t sleep in anything at all.”

Rip swallowed with a gulp and went back to his reading as Maddy chuckled softly and continued back upstairs. He turned his head so his eyes could follow her, a little confused by her change in mood. Less than an hour ago, she was attempting to pick a fight with him and now she was flirting with him. Needing some clarification on this change, Rip put his paper down and walked upstairs to find Maddy tucked into his bed and sitting against the headboard with a book in her lap. 

“Are we okay,” Rip asked as she leaned against the door frame with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What do you mean?”

“Less than an hour ago you were going to take me to the carpet over my relationship with your uncle and now we’re back to flirty banter.”

“While I was in the shower, I reminded myself that your relationship with my uncle really isn’t any of my concern at the moment.”

“And what is your concern?”

“Getting better and appreciating how much you’re doing to make sure that happens. Thank you, Rip,” Maddy said with a sincere look on her face, “for letting me stay here and taking care of me.”

Rip took a minute to consider her olive branch before nodding, “You’re welcome. Are you warm enough?

“I think so. I just took my temp, and I’m holding steady at 97.6 which is normal for me.”

“I’ll bring up some extra blankets before I go to sleep,” Rip said, walking into his closet and shutting the door slightly. Maddy went back to her reading until he emerged a few minutes later wearing a t-shirt and flannel pants. 

“You know, there’s no reason why we can’t both sleep in the bed. We’re adults,” Maddy said in all seriousness as he made to leave the bedroom. 

“Maddy…”

“I’m just saying that there is no reason for you to sleep on the couch.”

“There’s plenty of reason for my sleeping on the couch,” Rip said as he left.

“Are we going to leave the fact that you kissed me like the elephant in the room?”

Rip sighed and turned back around, “I kissed you because I was genuinely worried about you, not because I’ve changed my mind about us being in a relationship.”

Maddy nodded and considered what he said, “Fair enough. I’ll see you in the morning.”

She gave him an understanding smile and went back to the book she was reading without another word. Rip nodded and left the room, heading back down to his chair to finish reading the paper. It was almost 9 p.m. and Rip was about to head to bed when we heard the faint sound of talking coming from his bedroom. Waiting a few seconds to see if it stopped, Rip immediately stood up and walked up the stairs when the name “Tyler” was uttered. He found Maddy dreaming but also shivering and sweating, so he approached her quietly and shook her foot to wake her up, not wanting to be punched in the face like Jamie was.

“Mmm,” Maddy mumbled before opening her eyes, revealing the fever haze that Rip was afraid of. 

“You were having a nightmare,” Rip said as he sat next to her while grabbing the thermometer to take her temperature. 

“That’s par for the course. How high is it,” Maddy said, pulling the blanket closer around her to combat the shivering that had started up again. 

“One hundred point one,” Rip said, putting the thermometer down and grabbing the Tylenol, “I’ll be right back.”

Rip quickly walked out of the room to grab a glass of water from the kitchen and another blanket, coming back to sit next to her on the bed while she swallowed two Tylenol tablets. 

“I just can’t seem to stop shaking,” Maddy said, pulling the additional blanket over the current one and burrowing into her pillow. 

Rip gently moved the wet hair away from her forehead and shook his head, “Let me turn everything off downstairs, and I’ll sleep up here with you.”

“Rip, you don’t need…”

“We’ve already slept together on your uncle’s couch, so this really isn’t that big of a deal.”

Maddy waited quietly until Rip came back upstairs, took his shirt off, and climbed into bed with her. It only took a few seconds for Maddy to be turned over so her face was snuggled into his chest and wrapped in his arms. She instantly moved as close as she could toward his body heat while he ran his fingers through her hair. 

“You were dreaming about Tyler. Wanna tell me about it?”

“I will literally talk to you about anything else but that,” Maddy mumbled into his chest. 

“Okay. What did you mean that you have a decision to make after the Army decides whether or not you can go back?”

Really,” Maddy declared, moving her head back to glare at him, “I’m running a fever, having nightmares, and almost died from hypothermia and you want to talk about that?”

“You said you would talk about anything else,” Rip said, pulling her back into him without remorse, “and at least this way, I’ll get a straight answer.”

“Are you taking advantage of the fact that I’m not at my best?”

“Absolutely,” Rip said, pulling her in closer, “now answer my question.”

“If the Army decides that I can come back then I’ll need to decide whether or not I want to leave,” Maddy said, mumbling as Rip’s warmth began to make her sleepy.

“I thought you wanted to go back.”

“I still do, but I also don’t know if I want to leave here,” Maddy said as her eyes drooped, “there are people here I care about and this is home.”

“Like who?”

“You know who,” Maddy said before falling asleep.

Rip could tell she was asleep, so he did not say anything else, but sleep did not come easily for the foreman. The idea that Maddy would choose to stay for him and what that could mean for their relationship would not leave his mind. Holding her close to him, Rip did not settle into sleep until well after midnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to break hearts. Buckle up!


	13. Thirteen

Rip walked into his house to find it completely empty, which puzzled him somewhat as he looked around. He was expecting to find Maddy somewhere within as she had been since she fell into the river over a week ago. They had spent most of the day after the incident relaxing with Maddy not leaving his bed until almost noon, though he had emerged much sooner. Rip shook his head with a laugh at the memory of them sleeping until almost nine in the morning, the latest wake up time he could remember without being sick. While Maddy had been asleep, Rip had simply enjoyed holding her. She continued to sleep when he decided he had been in bed long enough, but once she had gotten up at noon, they had spent a very relaxing day together. Rip had returned to work next morning with Maddy following suit a few days later, but she had yet to fully move back to the main house. He often found her reading on his couch after the day was over or she would come over after dinner to spend time with him. They had spent quite a bit of time together over the past week, which was why Rip was expecting to find Maddy in his house when he finished for the day, but the house was completely quiet. Rip was walking back into the living room when his phone rang with a call coming in from Maddy.

“Hey, where are you?”

“In my room up at the house, and I need some assistance.”

“Are you okay?”

“It’s not an emergency, but I could use your help and a ride into town.”

“Okay,” Rip said curiously, “I’ll be right up.”

Rip hung up the phone and made his way up to the main house, hearing several expletives as he walked inside the back door. Maddy’s door was half open when he knocked and stuck his head around to find her wearing a black, cocktail dress and attempting to put on heels while standing up. 

“Well, this is different,” Rip said with a chuckle as he walked all the way in the room, “what’s going on?”

“The Cattleman Association dinner is tonight, and of course, my good for nothing cousins are probably not going to show up. Casey I can understand since Monica is still in the hospital, but you know how the other two are, so I figured I would surprise Uncle John and attend,” Maddy said as she finally got her shoes on and straightened up. 

“Wow, you look nice,” Rip said, looking over her from head-to-toe. Maddy had left her hair down with large curls brushing her shoulders, and she was wearing a black lace, cocktail dress with a square neckline and capped sleeves that hit just above her knees.

“Thank you,” Rip said with a blush, “could you finish zipping me up? I couldn’t reach.”

Maddy turned around near the vanity so she could put on her earrings while Rip zipped her up, which he did as their eyes met in the mirror. Rip’s fingers brushed up against her skin as he pulled the zipper up, making her shiver slightly at the sensation. 

“Looks like the doctors were right about the nerve damage.”

“Shut up,” Maddy said, her face turning slightly pink as she blushed, “can you give me a ride into town?”

“Sure,” Rip said, hesitating for several seconds as he looked at her in the mirror before backing away, “I’ll go warm up the truck.”

Maddy did not move until after he left the room, feeling a little rattled, she collected herself. Considering they had seen each other practically naked the week prior and routinely slept in the same bed or couch, Maddy did not understand why the man’s proximity still made her stomach flip. Shaking herself out of her current headspace, Maddy grabbed her coat and purse before heading for the truck currently running outside the front door. 

While they made quiet conversation the entire ride into town, Rip asking how Monica was doing since her accident, Maddy was still distracted by Rip’s presence until he dropped her off at the banquet hall and she walked inside. Maddy left her coat with the receptionist and walked inside the large room, looking around the room full of mingling people until she found her uncle speaking to several people near the front of the room. Putting a smile on her face, Maddy pushed Rip to the back of her mind and moved through the crowd with confidence. 

John Dutton stood nursing a drink with the governor and several other people, talking about the events of the past week, as he covertly looked around to see if anyone from his family was going to have the decency to come. One of the local ranchers that he did not particularly care for, Frank Stratton, walked up to him with a smirk on his face. 

“Hey John, where’s your family tonight?”

“They are…”

“…running late,” Maddy answered as she appeared next to him with a smile, easily understanding the jab that the man she did not recognize was trying to land, “sorry, Uncle John.”

“That’s quite alright, Maddy. Governor Perry, this is my niece.”

“Madison Johnson, ma’am,” Maddy said, accepting the hand that the woman in front of her was already offering with a smile.

“You’re the war hero,” the older woman said as she released Maddy’s hand.   
“I suppose so, ma’am.”

“Maddy, why don’t we get you a drink and find our table,” John said, not wanting the governor’s statement to be turned into a full-blown conversation, “excuse us.”

Maddy smiled graciously at everyone as her uncle took her elbow and steered her toward the bar. John waited until she had ordered her whiskey before speaking. 

“You’re not the person I was expecting to show up, but I’m glad you did,” John said, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Well, I figure you could use the company. You know how Jamie and Beth are,” Maddy said with a chuckle. 

“True. How did you get here?”

“I asked Rip to give me a ride. Where’s our table,” Maddy asked, following John toward the center table as other people began to find their seats. 

“You two have been spending a lot of time together,” John commented as he pulled out the chair two seats down from the Governor and then took the seat in between the two of them.

“Uh-huh,” Maddy said, giving her uncle a look that said it was not something she wanted to talk about in mixed company. 

“We can talk about it later,” John said with smirk before the Governor interjected with a question aimed at Maddy about where she grew up. 

The conversation continued to flow easily throughout the night with Maddy thoroughly enjoying the evening. They rode home in silence, just enjoying each other’s company, until they pulled into the driveway. 

“You heading to Rip’s house,” John asked as he parked the truck. 

“What are you gettin’ at, Uncle John?”

“Nothing in particular, just that you guys seem to be spending quite a bit of time together is all.”

“We like each other’s company, Uncle John.”

“And?”

“And nothing. There is literally nothing else going on.”

“So?”

“I had a good time tonight, Uncle John, thank you,” Maddy said, dodging the question as they exited the truck.

“Maddy…”

“Goodnight, Uncle John,” Maddy said with a shake of her head as she walked into the main house and headed straight for her room. When she pulled her phone out of her purse, Maddy smiled upon seeing a text from the man in question. 

“The popcorn is ready.”

Maddy smiled at the thought that Rip remembered her favorite snack, and she continued smiling as she changed into leggings, t-shirt, and sneaker. There was no one around as she walked through the main house, out the backdoor, and through the yard to where Rip’s house sat merely fifty yards away. Maddy did not even bother knocking before she opened the door and walked in to find Rip sitting on the couch reading the paper. Without even looking at her, he pulled a bowl of popcorn from beside him and held it out to her. Maddy laughed as she grabbed the bowl and came around to sit on the couch with him. Reaching within the paper to grab the sport’s page, she settled onto the couch so that she was leaning up against the arm with her toes tucked underneath his leg and the bowl between her knees and the couch. Considering it was well past nine, it was not long until Rip looked up to find Maddy passed out with her head leaning against the couch. 

“Maddy, wake up,” Rip said as he shook her foot. 

“Hmm?”

“Where are you sleeping tonight?”

“Here sounds good,” Maddy mumbled before falling back asleep. Rip laughed as he stood, put the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table, and scooted her down the couch until she was laying down. While she had slept in his house for the past week, Maddy did not always need to sleep next to him. Sometimes merely his proximity in the same house was enough to ensure she was able to rest. Rip covered her with a blanket and turned off all the lights before making his way down the hall toward the bedroom. He fell into a peaceful sleep having no idea that the world would come crashing down around him the next day.

~~~~~~  
One week later, Maddy knocked on Rip’s door and waited patiently for it to open. It had been a long week for everyone since the Cattleman’s Association dinner, Rip included, and it seemed like everything was falling apart at the seams. Wanting to give Rip some space, Maddy refrained from just walking inside like she normally would, instead she waited for him to answer while she thought about the past week. Rip had been accused of murder and poaching, Monica had been discharged from the hospital and decided to separate from Kayce, and Beth was spiraling in her attempt to ruin Jenkins. Even John and Jamie had seemed to go off the deep end with Jamie being fired as the ranch’s attorney and her uncle acting strangely all the way around. All of the unsettling behavior had put Maddy’s insomnia on overdrive along with the phone call she had received today. It took several minutes before Rip answered, but even then, he did not look happy to see her. Normally he would just open the door for her and step aside so she could come in.

“Maddy, what do you want?”

“To come in?”

“Go back to the main house,” Rip said, moving to close the door without another word but she stopped him with a confused look on her face. 

“What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting odd all day.”

“It’s been a long day and tomorrow is going to be worse, so will you please just go back to the house,” Rip said, not wanting to have the conversation he knew was coming. 

“No,” Maddy said with a scoff, “tell me what is going on.”

“I know you’ve been cleared to return to the Army,” Rip said, the memory of the conversation he had had with her uncle playing in his head.

“Yeah, I have to speak to the review board…though I’m curious as to how you know that,” Maddy said with a confused look before quickly coming back to the point, “is that what this is? You’re acting like a dick because you think I’m going to leave?”

“You are going to leave Maddy,” Rip said in a cold voice though there was no hiding the sadness in his eyes. This is exactly what he had been hoping to avoid since the moment she kissed him, “you need to get on that plane and never come back here, do you understand me? You deserve better than this ranch and me, this last week should have shown you that.”

“That’s not your decision to make,” Maddy said, hurt etched across her face.

“Well, I’m making it anyway. Things are only going to get worse, and I don’t need to be dealing with your issues on top of it. I don’t want you,” Rip said coldly, lying because he knew those words would hurt the most. The truth was he wished she could stay but did not want her to be around the ranch when the shit hit the fan but saying that would not make her leave.

Before Maddy could say a word, Rip closed the door and turned the lights out in his house. She stood on the porch in shock, silent tears filling her eyes at his words. Maddy had intended to talk about the situation with Rip, having his opinion was something she greatly valued, but now he did not even want to talk to her. Pulling out her cell phone, Maddy turned and walked toward the main house as she called the Bozeman airport to see when the earliest flight was to Fort Bragg. She had just finished making her reservation and closed the phone when she reached the back porch where John was sitting. 

“What’s going on,” John asked, seeing a strange look on her face. 

“Um,” Maddy started, sniffing harshly to clear her eyes of tears, “my CO called me today. The doctors have signed off on me speaking with the review board to come out of medical retirement. If I’m cleared, I’ll be going straight to Fort Benning to redo some of my training.”

“That’s great news,” John said, standing to pull her into his arms for a hug, relieved that she was going to be far away from the storm that was coming.

Maddy gladly hugged him until his enthusiasm clicked in her brain and she pulled away suddenly to look at him. 

“You did this? You’re the one who heard me on the phone today, and you talked to Rip.”

“Maddy, I’m only…”

“Wow,” Maddy said as she stepped out of his reach and laughed her own naivety, “and here I thought you were done making decisions for me. You really think that you get move us around like chess pieces to play whatever game it is you’ve got going on.”

“That’s not what this is, Maddy. I just want to protect you, and I know you were considering staying…

“You haven’t changed at all,” Maddy said, looking at her uncle in disgust, “I can’t believe that I thought you had changed. You still think that you get to make my choices for me.”

John looked at his niece in panic, seeing the good relationship they had created crumble before him, “Maddy, I’m trying to be better…”

“Just because you keep telling yourself that, doesn’t make it true. I’m leaving tonight,” Maddy said causing John to step forward in surprise. 

“Tonight? Isn’t that…”

“There’s no point in dragging this out, Uncle John, and no reason to stay,” Maddy said, coldly, “There’s a 11 p.m. flight leaving out of Bozeman. If I hurry, I can just make it.”

“I can drive you…”

“I’ll call a cab,” Maddy said before entering the house without another word. 

John stood with his hands on his hips and shook his head. Sitting down, he thought about what he, and more importantly his foreman, had just sacrificed to keep his niece out of harms’ way. He probably would have stayed in his thoughts if not for the Sherriff’s SUV that was pulling up the driveway.

“What now,” John muttered as he stood to watch the Donnie Haskell and Kayce exit the vehicle. 

“John, we have a bit of a situation,” the Sherriff said as Kayce simply stood next to him with his hands in his pockets. 

“What happened?”

“Drifter pulled a knife on him. Your boy took it too far…way too far. But I won’t press charges against a veteran.”

“Oh, but you’ll put one in cuffs,” John said, looking at Kayce who stood on the porch looking pissed off and frustrated. John could sympathize. It was becoming abundantly clear where his loyalties were going to lie, and it was not with the Dutton’s. Donnie had a least the good sense to look sorry for his treatment of Maddy, but it was fleeting.

“Dan Jenkins is not the future of this valley, Donnie.”

“I wish I could just make things go away, John, but I can’t. You all have a good night,” Donnie said before leaving. 

John waited until the vehicle had pulled away before turning to his youngest son, “Give me a few days to move to the guest house, and you and Monica…”

“She’s not coming, Dad. All I’ve got left is this place, something to give my son.”

“Your old room…”

“Cowboys sleep in the bunkhouse, so that’s where I’ll be,” Kayce said, turning to walk away. 

“I don’t need another cowboy.”

“I know exactly what you need,” Kayce replied, not turning back toward his father but focused on the taxi that was pulling up to the house, “is someone going somewhere?”

“I am,” Maddy said, having come out the door when she heard the taxi approaching.

Kayce turned to find her standing behind him pulling two mobility bags full of clothes and gear.

“Where are you going?”

“Fort Bragg for a review board and then down to Georgia for jump school if I’m approved.”

“When did you find this out,” Kayce wondered.

“Today.”

“And you’re leaving now?”

Maddy did not answer, instead pulled her cousin into a fierce hug that he quickly returned. John saw her whisper something in his ear that Kayce nodded in response to, but nothing else was said. John watched as his niece walked off the porch without another word, loaded her bags, and disappeared into the night bound for the airport. All the while, his youngest son watched with a lost look on his face until he looked at his father with a haunted expression. 

“I swear this place is fucking cursed, but I guess you got your way. She’s leaving and I’m back.” 

“Kayce, that’s not…”

“Save it, Dad. You won,” Kayce said before walking to the bunkhouse, leaving his father to come to grips with what his actions had put into place.


End file.
